Birds of Prey: Revisited
by MoxxieRusso
Summary: Bruce Wayne needed The Batman. The Batman needed a partner. Rita Greyson needed answers. A match made in Gotham, wouldn't you agree? When Dick Greyson's daughter enters the fray, who will be prepared for Nightwing 2.0? (Terry/Batman/OC)
1. Home Sweet Home (Pt 1)

**Alright, so since my tablet got stolen with all of my FMA story and Sandor Clegane story (My FMA story isn't too bad to rewrite, I have that saved on my laptop. But my Sandor Senpai story... sigh...) I'm going to upload this while I rewrite those.**

 **This is a story i started a few years ago, uploaded, then removed bc... well... i hated it. I've been working on it in my free time and remember how much i loved this show! Also. there is a severe shortage in Terry/OC media and that needs to be changed. Enjoy!**

* * *

The rain came down in fat, cold drops, which Rita Greyson was thankful for because it helped to hide her tears from the masses of people she barely knew. Her father's business partners, secretaries, employees. People who only cared because the paperwork, the trust funds, the money, made them care.

Slowly, Rita looked up from the ground, taking a survey of the faces around her. Each one wore a frown, what you'd expect to see at a funeral. She came to a stop on a very old man she'd recognized from pictures. She couldn't read his face. He was stoic, old, yet strong and not giving away any emotions if he could help it. He was Bruce Wayne.

Rita's eyes met his cold, hard gaze, which she held. _I want him to know how much this hurts_ ' She thought. She knew she had no reason to be angry with him. When the arbitrator had read her father's will, Bruce Wayne had been just as shocked that he was named her guardian.

Rita had to break eye contact. Bruce's cold stare was everything her father told her about. She couldn't help but resent him. She felt hands on her shoulder, patting her, gripping her, rubbing her. Rita realized the internment was over and people were leaving. This was their way of sending her their condolences, their way of saying goodbye. As she looked around at the dispersing crowd, her eyes rested on the mound of dirt that would be used to fill her father's grave.

"We have a long drive a head of us." Rita jumped at the sound of Mr. Wayne's voice, tightening her clasped hands. For a moment her eyes flickered to where he once stood, wondering how he'd moved so fast. "I hope you don't mind, I had an associate of mine pick up your bags."

"Are you sure he grabbed everything?" Rita asked quietly. She had quite a few suitcases full of clothing, none of which she wanted forgotten in her father's old estate.

"If it was packed then he would have grabbed it. I have strong faith in my employee's, Ms Greyson." Rita snorted.

"Please, call me Rita." The young girl said quietly. Mr Wayne looked at her a moment before turning away.

"This way." Mr. Wayne held his hand out to a black town car that sat parked on the road. There was a young man leaning up against it, his arms crossed, but when he noticed Rita and Mr. Wayne walking towards him, he quickly straightened up.

Terry cleared his throat and clenched his jaw shut to keep it from dropping. Behind his boss, a young girl walked. Her hair was the color of ebony and it flowed down her back in soft curls. She watched him with peircing blue eyes, studying him as she approached. Her demeanor was distant, and from the look on her face Terry wondered if she ever smiled.

"Ms. Rita Greyson, this is my associate, Terry McGinnis." Bruce introduced him. Terry held out his hand, which Rita took quietly.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Ms. Greyson. Your father was a great man." Terry said. He was talking about his time spent as Robin and Nightwing, but he hoped that Rita would find a different meaning in it. Terry offered a sympathetic smile, to which Rita merely scowled.

"Oh, You knew him well then?" The young man went rigid and Mr. Wayne opened the car door. Rita waited for just another moment before looking away. "That's what I thought." She muttered, sliding into the back seat. Terry shrugged his shoulders, his mouth agape with confusion.

"Don't let it get to you Terry, I've had plenty of practice working with a Greyson. You'll get used to her glib." Mr. Wayne slid in after Rita, closing the car door behind him.

"Jeeze. Take a pill." Terry muttered, crossing to the drivers side. "Un-schway."

* * *

Terry McGinnis pulled into the driveway of sprawling Wayne Manor. Over the past hour drive he felt himself fuming about the girl in the backseat. He wasn't sure how he was going to deal with this change. _Batman is going to be retiring early if I have to see her more than once a week_. Terry thought smugly as he pulled the car up to the front stairs.

Begrudgingly he stepped out of the driver's side and around to the rear passengers side door. As he opened it, Mr. Wayne stepped out, followed closely by Rita Grayson. Rita glanced up at him momentarily, before following Mr. Wayne up the front steps. Terry turned towards the back of the car, grabbing for her bags and suitcases.

Once inside, Mr. Wayne was the first to speak.

"Ms. Greyson, since you will be joining us for a while, I have set up a room on the second floor for you. It was your father's when he stayed here."

"Thank you, Mr. Wayne." Rita spoke quietly. She turned to go up the stairs when Mr. Wayne spoke again.

"McGinnis, please take Ms. Grayson's bags up for her. I'll be in my study." There was an air of secrecy surrounding the idea of his study, and Rita raised her brow in interest.

"Yeah. Sure." Terry muttered behind her. "Exactly what I want to do." He brushed past her, giving her a slight nudge on the shoulder.

The pair walked silently up the steps.

 _Why am I always pushing people away?_ Rita thought, staring a hole into the back of the boy's skull. A few doors down the hall Terry stopped, but Rita wasn't paying attention and she ran into his back.

"Ow..." Rita hissed, rubbing her sore nose. Terry smirked at the girl, gesturing towards the door in front of him.

"This is your room, Ms. Greyson." He said coolly, opening the door for her.

" _Please_. Please _god_ , call me Rita." She laughed awkwardly. Her laugh was light and chime like and Terry stood dumbfounded at her sudden display. Suddenly he wasn't feeling as resentful towards her. "Ms. Greyson makes me feel old and proper..." She paused, frowning. "And I'm sorry for being a bitch earlier…" She trailed off and looked at the ground, the laughter gone from her voice entirely. Again Terry was confused.

"It's okay. Really." He suddenly found himself apologizing. "I'm sorry I was in your face about it. You're probably tired of hearing about your own dad."

"You have no idea." Rita told him quietly, walking past him into the room. "If one more suit tells me how great my dad was..." She trailed off. Rita didn't have to finish that sentence and she didn't, instead she looked up at the room around her.

The room was tall. That was the first thing Rita noticed about it. The second thing she noticed was the antique four-poster bed and armoire sitting on the far wall. The walls were a pale yellow color, and the bedding was white and floral. On the far wall sat a fire place, not currently lit. The room was bright, quite the opposite of her father's taste, and Rita found it hard to believe he once lived here.

 _I wonder if Mr. Wayne re-did the room for me..._ She thought, running a finger over the dresser, which would now be hers. She glanced at Terry who was retrieving the last of her bags.

"I'll leave them by the dresser for you. Less effort to put your clothes away."

"Thank you." She said with a slight smile. Being in the same room her father once was gave her a bittersweet feeling. Rita cleared her throat awkwardly. "So, Terry? Or do you prefer _McGinnis_?" She asked him coyly.

"Tch." Terry smirked. He felt himself loosening up at her teasing. He decided not to let his entire guard down though, the last thing he wanted to do was get put on ice again. "McGinnis is my slave name. You can call me Terry." Rita chuckled, shaking her head. The sound was music to Terry's ears, now he was getting somewhere.

"Well, I wouldn't want to keep your boss waiting." Rita told him, crossing to her suitcases which Terry had placed at her armoire. She unzipped them quietly, pulling her long, black hair back into a ponytail.

"Are you sure you don't need help?"

"Yeah, I got it from here." She told him, absentmindedly riffling through her suitcase. She stood, grabbing out a hanger and pointing it at him menacingly. "Unless you want to help me hang up my clothes, _McGinnis_?" She asked hopefully.

"As much fun as that sounds, if I keep the old man waiting for much longer he'll probably have a conniption." Terry swore a look of disappointment flashed across her face, but it was gone as soon as it appeared. "Mr. Wayne has hired a chef for dinner tonight, he says it should be ready by 6:30."

"Will you be at dinner?" Rita blurted out. As thankful as she was to Mr. Wayne the thought of having to make conversation with him by her self bored her to tears and made her feel awkward. Terry hesitated for a moment.

"I'm not sure. I'll probably have some errands to run for him this evening, so no promises." Again, Rita felt disappointed.

"Ah, okay." The pair stood awkwardly in her room before she broke the silence. "Well. I'm gonna get to unpacking I guess…" Although she'd never admit it, she didn't want to be alone. Terry cleared his throat and walked towards the door, putting his hand on the handle.

"Open or shut?" He asked, fiddling with the knob.

"Open is fine." Rita smiled, returning to her bags. She bent over, grabbing out a few items, Terry had to bite back a low whistle. Terry nodded and carefully closed the door behind him.

Once he was gone, Rita looked back at the doorway, frowning as she did. The big room was quiet, now that Terry was gone, quiet and lonely. She heaved a heavy sigh, placing one of her sweaters on a hanger.

Terry made his way down to the Batcave quickly, constantly looking over his shoulders to be sure that Rita wasn't following him. Like always, the cave was chilly and he pulled his collar tighter to his neck.

"What do we have tonight, boss? Anything?" Terry asked as he took the stone stairs. As always, Bruce sat diligently in front of his many computer screens.

"It's been quiet so far. Did you shut the clock?" Bruce asked his young apprentice, asking about one of the many secret entrances to the Batcave. Terry nodded, taking a seat on one of the nearby tables. "Good. Now that we aren't alone we need to make sure we're more careful."

"She _is_ Dick Greyson's daughter."

"It doesn't matter." Bruce snapped. Terry frowned at him.

"I'm just saying, if she found out I don't think it would be the end of the world."

"Dick and I may have had a falling out, but he trusts me enough to place her in my care. She is to have nothing to do with the Batman, is that understood?" Bruce eyed his protege sharply.

"Yes sir." Terry muttered, frowning. While he did agree with Bruce, part of him was disappointed, It'd be nice to have a partner. Bruce stared at him for a long moment, leaving Terry uneasy, as he was afraid the old man could read his thoughts. Terry breathed a sigh of relief when his boss turned back to his computers.

"She starts school on Monday. Up until this point she's been in private school. I'd like for you to take her and make sure she adjusts okay." Bruce said matter of factly.

"You want me to baby sit." Terry scoffed, to which Bruce didn't reply. "With all due respect, I think she'll get along just fine-"

"Rita has gymnastics practice after school, I managed to pull a few strings, though it wasn't hard to get her on the team with her background." Bruce ignored him, turning to the computer in front of him. He clicked a few buttons, pulling up several clippings from an online newspaper.

"Whoa." Terry raised his eyebrow, his jaw going slack. Each clipping had a picture or two of Rita, usually clad in a brightly colored unitard. "Four time champ huh?" Terry said, more to himself than to Bruce.

"Indeed." Bruce had done his homework on his newest ward, along with the tabs he was already keeping on Dick Greyson. "She takes after her father in more ways than one." Bruce clicked another button, bringing up several more articles, all from a paper called _Bludhaven Tribunal_. Instead of gynamstics, all of these clippings were from Martial Arts tournaments and Terry was not surprised to find, were all about Rita.

"FMA?" Terry asked, reading from one of the articles: _Local Teen Takes belt from Star City Champ!_

"It stands for Filipino Martial Arts. It would seem she is also a Black Belt in Arnis." Bruce told him. Terry gave him a strang look, brows to forehead. "Eskrima, it's the national sport of the Philippines." Bruce clarified.

"Seems strange. Let me guess. What Dick Greyson mastered?" Terry glibbed. Bruce remained silent, which Terry took as a yes.

"You can see why it is imperative that she remains in the dark?" Bruce asked, eyeing Terry intensely. Terry frowned, running a hand down his face. Suddenly there was an alarm, which blared angrily through the cave. Bruce turned back to his screens, fidgeting with the mouse.

"Something for me?" Terry was feeling angsty, ready to go.

"Looks like it. Better suit up." Bruce told him. Terry nodded, grabbing his suit and cowl, and heading towards the changing room. Bruce watched him go with heavy eyes. He sighed, bringing his fingers to the bridge of his nose, trying to pinch the stress away. Slowly he looked up at the cases which lined the far cave wall, his eyes settling finally on the Nightwing costume. Bruce felt his eyes watering, but he blinked before the tears had time to fall.

 _Damn you Greyson._ He thought bitterly. _I could barely keep up with you, what am I supposed to do with your daughter?_ Quietly, Bruce reached into his desk, pulling out a white envelope. He flipped it over, the wax seal on the back broken. He'd read it over and over again, what felt like a hundred times.

 _Bruce,_

 _It's time, pass on the mantle._

 _Dick_

The letter arrived several days before Dick Greyson had died. Until Bruce found out about his former protege's death, the note left him puzzled. Now it was all too clear to him. Dick knew his time was up and it was his intention that Rita take up his mantle. Again his eyes fell to the Nightwing costume which sat silently in it's case.

"I'm out, boss." Terry said suddenly, pulling the old man from his reverie. Bruce grunted in response and Terry silently hopped into the Bat Mobile, gliding off into the night. Bruce turned back to his computer, eyeing an encrypted file that sat on his desktop. He sighed for the umpteenth time, crumpling the letter and tossing it into his waste basket.

"Damn you, Greyson."

* * *

 **Stay Beautiful y'all!**


	2. Home Sweet Home (Pt 2)

**So I've decided i'm going to post this story and rewrite my favorite episodes with some original content added in. They'll probably range from 2-5 parts depending on how long teh episodes are so you guys are in for some awesome reading :D**

* * *

The weekend passed by rather uneventfully. Rita had seen Terry a grand total of three times and even then Mr. Wayne had kept him so busy they barely had time to make small talk. Since dinner on Friday night, Rita saw Mr. Wayne even less than she saw Terry, always shut up in his study, which Rita found weird considering she couldn't _find_ his study.

It was Monday morning now, the bane of Rita's existence and the first day of public high school for her. The thought alone terrified her, she'd never been to public school, her father had always had her enrolled privately.

 _At least I have gymnastics to look forward too._ she grumbled to herself. The thought brought her minimal joy, considering all she had to do was survive a day of high school. After double and triple checking to make sure everything was packed, Rita did a double take in the mirror. She'd pulled her long, black hair into a loose ponytail and decided on a plain blue sundress and black half jacket. Public _high school worthy, right?_

Rita slung her satchel over her shoulder and trudged out of her room. She took the main stairs two at a time, quickly making her way to the kitchen. Rita was surprised to find Terry sitting at the island counter top. He sat straighter as she walked in, giving her a small wave.

"Yeesh. Did you get any sleep last night?" Rita asked, noting the terrible bags under his eyes. She walked to the counter, grabbing a slice of bread and the toasting knife. Terry shook his head as she ran the fiery edge over the bread, satisfied with its level of toastiness.

"Studying is hard." He said awkwardly. Rita raised a brow at him, she didn't know Terry very well, but he didn't seem like the type of teen who would forgo sleep for studying.

Terry cleared his throat as Rita eyed him warily, taking a bite of her toast. He was certain she saw through his flimsy lie, but she didn't have any reason to suspect otherwise, so why did he feel so exposed? The way she looked at him, it was like she could see into his head, her eyes were penetrating, then he remembered she was Dick Greyson's daughter.

"We should head out soon." He said, changing the subject. Rita made a muffled sound of agreement, as her mouth was full. Terry raised an eyebrow at her and she swallowed. "Not very lady like, talking with your mouth full."

"You know what they say about assumptions." Rita sniggered, brushing past him.

* * *

The pair arrived at Hamilton High a short while later. There were definitely closer schools, but Rita had a feeling that Bruce picked this one because it was the one Terry attended. Rita stared up at the school warily, as Terry pulled up to the drop off.

"Hop out and wait for me. I gotta find a spot." He told her. Rita nodded, snatching her satchel up off the floor of Mr. Wayne's black town car and stepping out onto the pavement. She heard Terry pull off behind her and suddenly she felt very alone.

Quietly, she watched Terry drive off into the parking lot. She didn't want to move, afraid that if she did the vultures of public high school would descend upon her. Rita could already feel all of the surrounding eyes on her and if that didn't make her feel uncomfortable enough, a low whistle rang out behind her. Rita turned towards the sound to find several jocks and their red head leader approaching her.

"Looks like we got a new girl on our hands." The red head cat called, his hands placed in the pockets of his stereotypical Letterman jacket. Rita rolled her eyes at him and his clique, and turned back to the parking lot. Effectively ignoring them . "What's your name, gorgeous?"

"Nunya." Rita shot back, still not looking at him. You'd think he'd get the hint?

"Nunya?" Rita felt a smirk tug at her lips as he fell for the trap.

"Nunya Business." Several _ooohs_ came from the crowd, who had now stopped to watch their conversation. The Jock didn't appreciate her attitude very much, as exampled by the low growl that escaped his throat.

"Listen here, you little twip." He said, grabbing her shoulder and turning Rita to face him. "I own this school and I wont let you talk to me like that!" Rita glared at him, pulling her shoulder out from underneath his hands. The bully balled his fists at his side and Rita did the same. She wasn't about to be pushed around by some empty-headed jock.

"Do we have a problem, Nash?" A familiar voice asked from behind Rita. Rita sighed, taking a step back, the last thing she wanted was a fight on her first day.

"Ah, McGinnis. Isn't this perfect." Nash sneered. He pointed a mean thumb at Rita and Terry balled his fist. "Since she's new, I'll give her a pass. Make sure she knows how things work around here come tomorrow."

"Will do, cap'n." Terry spat, glaring at the bully in front of him. Nelson Nash gave the pair one last sneer before walking off with his crew. Terry watch them go, slowly turning to Rita who was still scowling at the redhead's back. "I see you've already made some great friends."

"It's a talent." Rita hissed as the pair walked up the steps.

* * *

Rita found her first day of school to be highly uneventful. She had seven different introductions to seven different classes. She was happy to find she shared three classes with Terry and one of his friends, Max, who seemed nice. Rita was unhappy to find that she shared four classes with Nelson Nash. He glared at her fondly all day.

The final bell had finally rung and Rita scurried quickly to her locker. She put her books away, packing the ones she needed for the gross ammount of homework given in high school. Terry sat patiently next to her, watching her pack her satchel bag.

"I've got a couple errands to run for Bruce while you're at practice. What time is it over?" Terry asked. Rita scrunched her face thoughtfully.

"I think six." She told him. Terry nodded, thinking quietly to himself. Rita noticed he looked like he was planning a rather long itenerary. "Jeeze, how many errands do you have to run for him?"

"I think he likes giving me a to do list that's longer than the constitution." Terry joked. "I should be back before then. If I'm not, wait for me. Gotham is dangerous after dark." Rita snorted, earning a serious look from Terry.

"I grew up in Bludhaven, I think I can handle Gotham." Terry didn't look away from her and she sighed. " _Fiiiiiine_." Terry smiled, triumphant, until his phone rang in his pocket.

"Speak of the devil." He muttered bitterly.

"Have fun, _McGinnis_." Rita smirked, shutting her locker. Terry threw her a look over his shoulder as he left the building.

* * *

The gym was musty and old smelling but the bright blue mat felt amazing under Rita's feet. She felt at home in her spandex and high pony tail, for the first time since moving to Gotham and she relished as she felt all of her new team mates eyes on her. Despite his cool demeanor, Mr. Wayne had pulled quiet a few strings to get her accepted onto the Hamilton High Gymnastics team without a try out, and now the coach wanted her to show off her stuff for the other members.

Without another thought, Rita flew head long into a sprint. Once she'd caught enough speed, she flung herself into a series of tumbles and flips, landing gracefully in the opposite corner of the mat. Rita grinned, presenting herself and shrugging out her shoulders before taking off again.

Several minutes later, her exhibition was over, followed by excited clapping. Rita took a deep breath, throwing her hands into the air in a final salute, grinning widely as she did.

"What an amazing floor routine!" Her coach, Ms. Hackett, gushed as she approached. "If I'm not mistaken, that was the winning floor routine from last year's regionals?"

"Yes ma'am." Rita said breathlessly.

"Alright ladies, as you know, Ms. Greyson is our newest member! I hope you all make her feel welcomed!"

 _Make that eight introductions._ Rita sighed to herself. Coach Hackett clapped, snapping Rita back to reality.

"Okay girls! I know we're excited, but we all have stuff we're working on for our next meet!" Coach Hackett gave Rita one more shoulder clap before walking off to the uneven bars. Rita sighed, stretching her arms and legs. She eyed the balance beam wryly, it had been calling her name since she got to the gym.

* * *

Rita sat quietly outside of the gym in only her unitard and track jacket. She didn't think she'd have time to change before Terry returned, but apparently she was wrong. After fifteen minutes of waiting and freezing in the chilly Gotham air, Rita gave a loud huff. She glowered at the concrete under her feet before quietly pushing off the wall.

 _I'll just hail a taxi._ She thought bitterly, crossing her arms tightly across her chest. It wasn't a long walk to the main street but despite it being a main drag, it was painfully empty. If I can find a taxi.

Foot steps echoed from down the street. Rita looked up, hoping to find Terry walking towards her, but she was left disappointed. Instead of her new friend, several teens dressed as clowns walked her way, two of them carrying large batons. A heavy pit formed in Rita's stomach and she looked at the ground, praying they'd walk by.

"Oh look J-man!" A girly voice pitched with a heavy boston accent. Rita groaned, glancing down the street. Not a single car in sight.

"She looks a little lost, Let's see if we can help her out." The one called J-man said. His voice dripped of malice and Rita shivered. They were closer now, much closer and instinctively Rita began walking down the street away from them. Her heart skipped a beat as their footsteps sped up behind her. Rita's walk quickly turned into a full blown sprint.

"Get her!" The leader yelled. Rita sped off away from them, taking a quick left down a back alley, only to run straight into a wall.

"Are you kidding me?" Rita groaned, frustrated. She turned around to meet the five gang members who had cornered her.

"Got no where else to run, so lets keep it simple. Would you like the easy way or the hard way?" J-man asked happily.

"Yeah, the easy way is ta give us ya creds and we leave that pretty face of yahs alone." The girl clown told Rita matter of factly.

"And the hard way?" Rita asked dryly.

"We break all of ya bones and take yah creds anyways." The girl clown replied, inspecting her nails threateningly. Rita said nothing and the two thugs with the bats grinned at each other.

"Hard way it is, take her Dottie." J-man said. Suddenly the cute smile was gone from the clownette's face, replaced by a murderous leer.

"It'll be my pleasure, J-man." She sneered, slowly approaching Rita...

* * *

"She's not here, Mr. Wayne." Terry said angrily into his phone. He pulled up to the school about twenty minutes late, only to find the parking lot completely empty and the gym doors locked.

"Well find her!" Bruce growled into the reciever, which went dead in Terry's hand. Terry glowered, slamming the car door behind him. I don't know why he's so angry at me! It was Batman that made me late!

After scouring the parking lot, Terry found nothing and only when he went to search the main road, did he stumble upon something interesting. Several Jokerz were running down the street. Terry raised an eyebrow, dialing Bruce Wayne on his phone. He hopped the guard rail while he waited for the old man to pick up, following quietly behind the gang of clowns.

"Did you find her?" Bruce bellowed into the phone, without so much as a greeting. Terry paused, coming to a corner that the Jokerz had turned, and peaked around it. The Jokerz stood menacingly a few feet down the back alley, all of their backs turned to him.

"I found some Jokers." Terry told him, clutching the phone to his ear. They had someone cornered, but he couldn't see past them to see who it was. He had the sneaking suspicion he already knew though.

"Yeah, the easy way is ta give us ya creds and we leave that pretty face of yahs alone." He heard the female Joker laugh.

"And the hard way?" Terry paused, his eyes growing wide. He knew that voice.

"Boss..." Terry said gravely. "I found Rita."

"With the Jokers?" Bruce asked over the phone. Terry bent over, tossing his bag to the ground and fishing for his cowl. He'd left his suit on under his clothes, knowing as soon as he dropped her off he'd have to go back out.

"Yes. She has this talent for making friends." Terry sighed. He usually didn't wear his uniform under his civies, but now he was grateful that he did.

"What are you waiting for? Get in there and get her!"

"I'm still in my civies!" Terry argued, fumbling with the mask in his hands.

"No time, McGinnis! Get in there now!"

"You're the boss." Terry sighed, tossing his cowl back into his bag and turning down the alley way. The female Joker was running towards Rita, Terry knew he wouldn't catch her in time.

Rita watched as Dottie ran at her, swinging a spiked rubber chicken. Rita dodged the blow, stepping gracefully to the side and landing one of her own. A sickening crack broke the still night air and Dottie clutched at her nose, stumbling backwards away from her.

"She broke my nose!" The clown whined. Rita dropped to the ground, swiping Dottie's legs out from underneath her, sending her tumbling to the ground. Terry watched with wide eyes as the clown fell, forgetting that he was actually there to save Rita.

"Don't worry boss, we got her!" The two big thugs said simultaneously smacking their clubs in their hands. Terry sprang forward, vaulting over them to stand in between Rita and the goons, though for who's safety he wasn't quiet sure.

Rita stared at Terry wide eyed as he landed gracefully in front of her. Terry had just sprung over the two thugs like it was nothing, something she didn't expect from him at all.

"You okay?" Terry asked over his shoulder. Rita shook her head, realizing that now was not the time for asking questions.

"You're late, _McGinnis_." Rita hissed at him, over her initial shock of his sudden appearance. Terry gave her a short glare before refocusing his attentions to the Jokers in front of them. They paused their assault and now the goons eyed both Terry and Rita warily.

"Take 'em both!" J-man ordered, pointing menacingly at the duo. The two big thugs rushed them quickly and again Terry vaulted using the thugs shoulder's. The goon turned, raising his bat to Terry, but the thug was too slow. Terry kicked the bat from his hands, which clattered loudly to the ground. Another well placed kick sent the thug flying into the brick wall behind him.

Rita was shocked to find that Terry had disarmed the giant clown so quickly and her eyes fell to the bat that rolled down the alley towards her. It was so close she could taste it.

"I wouldn't if I was you, girlie." The second large thug told her, wagging his bat and clucking his tongue. Rita ignored him and ran for the bat, bringing it up just in time to deflect the Giant thugs advance. He leaned on her as she crouched underneath him, their clubs locked in combat.

Just as with Dottie, Rita swept her leg, intending to take him to the ground as well. However, such was not the case. The thug stumbled, unbalanced, away from Rita, giving her enough time to attack. She swung the bat, with all her strength, which collided against his head and the thug fell unconscious to the ground. Slowly, Rita picked up the second thug's bat.

"Schway." Terry gaped at the girl in front of him. Unfortunately his slight distraction was enough to give the fourth Joker thug an upper hand.

"Terry! behind you!" But it was too late. The final thug spun him around, grabbing him by his shirt, and tossed him to the side. Terry flew into the dumpster, crumpling like a rag doll on the ground next to it. Rita made for him, but the thug stepped in front of her. Behind him, Rita could see the gangs leader approaching Terry menacingly. Taking a deep breath, Rita fell into a defensive position, cracking her neck. The thug froze before turning heel and running out of the alley.

"Get back here scum!" J-man yelled after him. When he wasn't aknowleged, J-man turned back to Rita, flipping open a switch blade.

"Slash her pretty face, J-man!" Dottie screeched, her voice nasal and whiny. Terry stirred on the ground beside her and Dottie kicked his ribs, smirking under the hand that held her broken nose.

J-man growled, lunging for Rita. She side stepped him easily, bringing a bat down on his back. He yelped, angrily turning around and running for her again, except this time much faster. Rita ducked, the knife barely missing her cheek, and she put a knee to his chest. He coughed, dropping the knife to the ground, which Rita kicked away.

"My turn." Rita taunted, leaping through the air at him. Spinning mid air, she smiled happily as both of her bats connected with his skull. The impact sent J-man flying across the alley and he landed on top of the first thug with a loud groan. Breathing hard, Rita turned to Dottie, who sat watching her with wide eyes. Rita stepped forward and Dottie squealed, taking off out of the alley. Rita watched her go and when she was certain there was no more danger, she tossed her bats.

"Terry?" Rita sighed, dropping next to him. He was a mess, his hair tousled and his lip bleeding. Absentmindedly she combed out his hair before lightly slapping his cheek. "Terry get up." She said her once-over finished. She noticed his shirt was ripped as well, probably from when the thug threw him. She reached for the fabric, playing with it between her fingers, when a flash of red caught her attention. Slowly, Rita pulled the fabric aside, gasping as she did. Underneath his street clothes, Terry wore a black, skin tight suit, adorned with a very familiar looking red insignia: _The Bat Symbol._

Terry stirred, coming to in the dark alley. Light fingers ran through his hair, brushed over his chest. There was a low gasp and Terry's eyes flew open. He met a familiar piercing blue gaze and his hand flew to the one that sat on his chest. Rita dared a look down at Terry's chest and he followed her gaze. Looking down he saw his Batman outfit clearly visible beneath his torn shirt.

 _Slag it._ He thought as Rita watched him with calculating eyes, pushing him harshly from her lap.

"You're Batman?" It was phrased as a question, but Terry knew it wasn't. He sighed as he sat up, Rita remained quiet, waiting for her answer. Terry knew he was going to be in trouble when he got back to Wayne Manor.

* * *

 **Stay Beautiful y'all!**


	3. Home Sweet Home (Pt 3)

Bruce sat quietly in his chair glaring daggers at Terry, who shifted awkwardly in front of him. His eyes danced over to Rita, who looked excitedly around the Batcave. Slowly she made her way to the Batjet, fingering it lightly before moving on to something else.

"How could you let this happen, McGinnis?" Bruce asked coolly. Terry flinched, rubbing the back of his neck. He was distracted in that alley way, it was the only reason those thugs got the jump on him.

"I'm sorry." Terry said honestly. Bruce's eyes narrowed at him, Terry knew he wouldn't accept such a flimsy apology. Terry looked away from Bruce, his eyes finding Rita. She'd made her way to the costume cases.

Rita placed a gentle hand on the glass case holding Batgirl's grey spandex. Her father had told her stories about his time spent in Gotham, the heroics of Batman and his sidekicks, but up until today that's all they were, stories. Rita dared a glance over her shoulder at Mr. Wayne and Terry. To think Mr. Wayne was the original Batman.

Slowly Rita approached the last case and Terry's breath hitched in his throat. Quietly she inspected the black and blue costume behind the glass. She bent down, reading the plaque at the bottom, her jaw dropping.

"Boss.." Terry trailed off, catching the old man's attention. Bruce and Terry both stiffened as Rita turned to look at them with narrowed eyes.

"Why does this plaque say _Dick Greyson_?" Rita asked them, crossing her arms. The men said nothing, merely looked at each other. Rita's mind was racing and her heart pounded in her chest. The pieces began to fall together. "He was Nightwing, wasn't he?"

"Yes, and the original Robin." Bruce said quietly. "There's no point in hiding it any longer." He said, seeing the look that Terry gave him. "It is also why, upon his death, he sent you to Gotham."

"How do you know that?" Terry asked him. Bruce frowned, standing up and walking towards Rita. He stopped, pulling out a crumpled piece of paper. Rita eyed him suspiciously, taking it from his hands.

Rita gasped as she opened the letter. She recognized the stationary, as well as the wax seal, no matter how many time Rita had told him how to use email, he refused, stating that snail mail was more personable. If the seal and the stationary wasn't proof enough for her, the signature that was signed confidently at the bottom was. This letter was sent by Dick Greyson, her father.

 _Bruce,_

 _It's time, pass on the mantle._

 _Dick_

Terry was intrigued and quietly he stepped forward, eyeing the piece of paper in Rita's shaking hands. He watched her eyes scan the page over and over again, barely holding back tears.

"W-when did you get this?" She asked, stunned.

"A few weeks ago." Bruce said solemnly.

" _He wasn't dead a few weeks ago!_ " Rita spat bitterly. Her eyes suddenly grew wide. The wheels in her head began to turn and she groaned as the pieces fell into place. "I don't understand..." Rita said, her eyes burning. She understood perfectly well. "He... He knew someone was going to kill him?"

Terry frowned, looking away from Rita as they caught eyes. He knew the circumstances surrounding Dick Greyson's death. Officially it was a mugging gone wrong and up until now that's what Terry believed. He scowled at his boss for keeping that piece of information from him.

"I believe that your father was murdered. I also believe that he was aware of who and why." Bruce said, sparing her nothing. Rita clenched her teeth, shaking with fury. She was deeply angered and even more so hurt. _Why didn't he tell anyone? Why did he just give up? Why did he just_ abandon _me?_ "I also believe that he placed you under my care with the intent that you take up his mantle." Rita's eyes snapped to Bruce and quietly she wiped away several tears that she didn't realize fell.

"I accept."

"No, you don't." Bruce retorted. Rita stared at him dumbfounded.

"Excuse me?" Rita asked, unsure if she heard him correctly. Bruce ignored her and she growled at him. "It's my choice! He's been preparing me for this my whole life! The gymnastics, the martial ar-"

"And which one of those did you choose for yourself?" Bruce bellowed. Rita grew quiet. Her father had started her in both at a young age, so it is true, she didn't have much say, but Rita grew to love her extracurriculars.

"All of them." She finally said, defiantly raising her chin at Mr. Wayne.

"I said no." Bruce repeated, sitting in his chair. "It's too dangerous."

"But Terry can be Batman?" Rita argued, not unlike a petulant child.

"Terry isn't my responsibility." Bruce looked over at Terry, seeing him frown. "No offense, McGinnis."

"None taken." Terry said dryly

"But my father was your ward! You let him!"

"I have learned from my mistakes." Bruce growled, his patience wearing thin. "This conversation is over and you have homework to do." He dismissed Rita casually. Rita glared at his back as he turned to his computer.

"You aren't my father! I hate this place! I hate you!" Rita sobbed angrily. Bruce froze at his computer and Terry flinched as her words echoed off the cave walls. Rita felt a pang of guilt in her chest, but she swallowed it quickly, before turning off and running up the narrow stair case towards the manor.

Terry watched her go, almost wanted to follow after her. He decided against it, however, finding that putting himself in the middle of this argument would be unwise.

"You think I was too hard on her." Bruce said, not looking away from his many screens.

"No, you're right. It is dangerous." Terry paused thoughtfully.

"But?"

"She held her own out there tonight. As much as you hate to admit it, Dick Greyson prepared her for this."

"What father would want their child to live like this?" Bruce spat, suddenly angry with his former protege. After everything he's seen, even after Jason's death and Barbara's accident, how could he still want this?

"If Dick were alive he wouldn't, but now that he's not..." Bruce narrowed his eyes at Terry, not liking his apprentice's implications.

"Don't you have crime to fight, McGinnis?" Bruce asked, this time turning to look at Terry. Terry frowned, pulling on his cowl.

"Yes, boss." He said, taking one more look at the stairs before hopping into the bat jet. Bruce watched him jet off before sighing and turning back to his computer. Again he clicked the encrypted folder, opening it. Several schematics appeared on his screen and he squinted, looking them over for a final time, before clicking the 'finalize' button. Several machines sprang to life behind him and Bruce stood from his chair.

"Project Nightwing initiated, continue?" The computer spoke robotically. Bruce hesitated, clutching his cane tighter.

"Continue." He said finally. Terry was right, who ever killed Dick could very well be after Rita. Dick wouldn't have wanted this if there had been any other way.

"Sensitive material accessed. Password and voice recognition required."

"Rita Greyson."

"Password accepted, voice authentication accepted. Welcome back, Bruce." Bruce grimaced as a work station rose from the floor. The glass casing on top opened, revealing two Eskrima sticks and several tools. Slowly he made his way over to the table.

"Where are we with the suit?" Bruce asked the computer.

"Nightwing suit at 68% completion."

"Excellent." He said, picking up the tools in front of him. Quietly, Bruce began to tinker away as the machines around him whirred excitedly.

* * *

Rita sat quietly in the sitting room. It had been a week since the big reveal with Terry, Bruce and her father. She was supposed to be doing homework, but being cooped up in her room was boring and lonely.

Bruce and Terry were down in the Batcave. Rita had given up trying to find how to open the clock days ago, trying every book on the book shelf and every key on the piano. She cursed herself for not paying attention when Terry opened it the other day.

She had finally gotten a good start on the short answer problems of her algebra homework, when the grandfather clock on the wall slid open. Terry stopped at the entrance and Rita raised an eyebrow at him. He looked tired, beat up and sweaty, but that wasn't what caught her eye.

"Rough night?" Rita asked, turning away from the shirtless teen and his eye catching chest. Her cheeks were on fire and she was having difficulty keeping her uninterested air.

"Yeah." Terry replied awkwardly. Since the other night their relationship had been strained, which Terry found to be quite disappointing as they were starting to get along well. He crossed the room, lounging on the couch opposite Rita. The air was thick and uncomfortable, and Terry tried not to look at her.

"I guess they didn't give you social skills with those rippling pectorals?" Rita teased, clearing her throat. She didn't like the way they'd been acting around each other lately and she knew it was partially due to her freak out.

"Funny." Terry smirked at her.

"It's a talent." Rita shrugged. The room went quiet again, but this time it wasn't nearly as awkward as before.

"You seem to have a lot of those." Terry teased. Rita chuckled before clearing her throat, preparing to apologize for what had happened several nights ago, when a loud crash rang from behind the clock.

"Bruce!" Terry said, jumping to his feet. Rita followed his lead, both teens running for the grandfather clock. Terry pried open the door, forcing it to slide on its hinges, and bolted down into the cave, Rita quick on his heels. As they entered the cave, Rita was surprised to find Terry's Batsuit standing on it's own. It regarded them for a split second before blowing a massive hole in the cave wall and escaping through it.

"McGinnis! It's Vance!" Bruce yelled from where he laid crumpled on the cave floor. Rita ran to him, kneeling by his side to help him up while Terry took off after his suit. He was too slow, however, and the suit sent Terry flying with a single kick. Terry cursed, landing hard on the concrete next to Bruce and Rita. He made to get up and continue the chase when Bruce stopped him. "There's a kill switch, remotely accessed from here." Bruce groaned, pushing himself off the ground.

"Be careful Mr. Wayne!" Rita whispered, grabbing the old man by his elbow.

"I'm fine, just help me to my chair." Bruce told her, taking a seat with Rita's help. Terry had already climbed to his feet and was making his way over to them. Rita shot him a concerned look but he brushed it off. He'd been hit harder.

"Why was the Batsuit walking around on it's own?" Rita asked them. Bruce and Terry exchanged pointed looks.

"You've heard of Robert Vance, correct?"

"Yeah, the tech head who died a few days ago?" Rita asked. Terry raised his eyebrow at her, he hadn't expected her to know the answer. Rita shrugged. "What? I watch the news..."

"Yes, well this _Tech Head_ , as you so eloquently put it, made a copy of his brain using advanced Vance Tech Technology. He's using his virtual self to download and control tech all over Gotham." Bruce paused, typing something on his computer. "His most recent conquest is the Batsuit."

"But... its just fabric, isn't it?"

"The Batsuit is an advanced piece of technology. It utilizes various systems to make Batman more efficient." Bruce said, continuing with his typing. Rita smirked at Terry.

"Oh, so it's the suit not the man?" Rita teased. Terry glared at her and Bruce narrowed his eyes, giving Rita a cold look.

"That's enough, Rita." Bruce told her. Rita clamped her mouth shut, not wanting to push her luck. She was finally in the Batcave again and she was not looking to get thrown out so soon.

"Getting anywhere with that kill switch?" Terry asked after a long pause. Bruce frowned.

"No, it's dead."

"This is my fault." Terry growled, shaking his head. "I should've made sure there was nothing left of him in that suit." Rita frowned at him, she felt bad for him.

"Well we can't do anything about it now." Terry looked thoughtful at Bruce's words.

"Yes I can!" Quickly, the teen made his way to the glass cases filled with old suits.

"Where do you think you're going?" Rita asked as he stopped at the Robin case.

"I'm going to Vance's lab to stop him." Terry opened the case, removing the half mask. Carefully he placed it over his eyes.

"Look what that suit did to that wall! You think you can go up against that?" Bruce said, trying to talk some sense into his young protege. Terry bit his lip, looking up at Rita.

"Rita is right. Now it's time to find out: Is Batman the suit, or is he the man inside of it?" Terry said quietly. Rita's jaw went slack and she suddenly felt guilty.

"Terry! I was joking! Dont go getting yourself hurt because I'm a twip!" Rita pleaded with him. Terry shook his head, turning away and heading up towards the stairs.

"Terry!" Bruce called to him. Terry looked over his shoulder and Bruce sighed. Slowly, Bruce turned to the Bat Costume case, removing the utility belt and tossing it to him. Rita watched him with wide eyes.

"You can't be serious! Bruce stop him!" Bruce ignored her and Terry left the cave. "Send me with him!" Rita pleaded. Again, Bruce ignored her. "He can't go alone! He'll be killed!" Bruce pinched his nose with an irritated sigh.

"We've been through this before. You're not-"

"I am going! I'm not going to sit here while Terry hurts himself for something I said." Defiantly, Rita wrenched open the Nightwing case, grabbing out the Eskrima sticks and the half mask. She put the mask on, her head held high and turned back to Bruce. _Try to stop me, I dare you._

* * *

Getting to Vance's lab wasn't hard. Once Rita convinced Bruce to recall the Batjet, he reprogrammed it to return to it's last destination. Terry had left her a bread crumb of open vents and in no time she came to a grate that opened into a room with a high ceiling. Slowly, Rita dropped out just in time to see Terry exchanging blows with his super suit. To Rita's chagrin, the suit was unphased, brushing the punches off like they were nothing. In one fluid movement, the suit had tossed Terry to the far wall.

"Slag it!" She hissed, trying her best to climb down to the floor. Terry was vertical again, fighting his suit with everything thing he had. The suit had gotten the upper hand though, and again tossed Terry to the side. The Batsuit stood over him, ready to deal a finishing blow, when Rita jumped into the fray. "I'm tagging in!" She shouted, swatting the suit in the face with both of her sticks. It stumbled backwards, quickly recovering as Rita sank into a defensive position. "Bring it, Tech Head."

"Indeed." The suit replied coolly, lunging for her. Rita flipped away, kiting Vance around the lab.

"Tell me you have a plan!" She shouted to Terry, who was now on his feet. Rita ducked, barely missing a fist to her face. The Batsuit's fist sailed into the wall behind her head, which crumbled under the impact. Rita's eyes widened in fear and quickly she batted the suit away, realizing just how close to her it was.

"Working on it!" Terry replied. He knelt on the floor, flipping a switch on the magnetic field machine he'd spied earlier. If he could over load the suit with enough magnetic force, it would decommission it. Grabbing a nearby cord, Terry ran at the suit, catching Rita's attention.

Time for an offensive! Rita thought, swinging her leg forward, landing a heavy roundhouse. The suit stumbled backwards into Terry, who caught him, plugging the cord into the Batsuit's neck. Rita watched as the suit sparked and convulsed before going limp and dropping to the floor.

"Terminated." Terry said quietly. Rita snorted, shaking her head at him. "What?"

"Never took you for a classic movie buff." Rita said, kicking at the suit, just to be safe. Terry smirked at her.

"Seems like there's a lot you don't know about me, partner."

* * *

"And in local news, It's the end of a dynasty as young Bobby Vance sells his family's computer company to outside investors." Rita smirked at the TV, taking a sip of water before leaning on the table next to Terry. She went to set her glass down when Bruce gave her a dirty look.

"There's millions of dollars of equipment on this table" He told her. Rita rolled her eyes, picking up her glass and Bruce returned to his work. "You know, the last time I reprogrammed this suit, it didn't take nearly this long."

"It's okay with me. I could use a rest." Terry snorted, stretching his arms over his head. Bruce gave him a look and Terry sighed. "A mans gotta try."

"Project Nightwing at 100% completion. Continue?" Rita narrowed her eyes and Bruce visibly tensed. Terry watch him quietly.

"Project Nightwing?" Terry questioned. Bruce glared at him, sighing.

"Continue." Bruce said begrudgingly. He stood slowly, making his way to a series of machines.

"Password required. Voice Authentication required." The computer spoke again.

"Rita Greyson." Bruce said quietly. Rita's eyes grew wide and she grinned at Terry. The machine whirred, sliding open to reveal a black suit, much like Terry's, adorned with a bright blue symbol that started on the chest and wrapped around the shoulders, before trailing down the arms. Unlike the batman suit, the Nightwing suit had a plain black cowl, without the bat ears Around the eyes, in bright blue, was a what appeared to be a half mask, sewn into the suit itself, in the shape of the Nightwing insignia. Hanging next to the suit sat a matching set of Eskrima sticks, both in bright blue and black. Awestruck, Rita slowly approached the suit, running her hands over the silky fabric.

"The suit is similar to the Batsuit in specs. It is designed for easy movement and flexibility while still being durable." Bruce informed her. Rita blinked back tears, sniffing let out a happy sob, running up to her new guardian and hugging him tightly. Awkwardly, Bruce returned the hug.

"You have to promise me one thing." The old man said solemnly.

"What? Anything!" Rita told him happily.

"You will leave the investigation of your father's death to the proper authorities." Rita frowned at Bruce's words, but she nodded all the same. Why did she feel like she was making a promise she couldn't keep?

* * *

 **Stay Beautiful y'all!**


	4. GOLEM (Pt 1)

Rita stood quietly at her locker, checking for the third time to make sure she had all of her books.

"You know, we don't get bonus points with the boss for being a nerd." Terry teased as he approached her, Max quick at his heels. Rita turned to glare at him, before pulling her gymnastic unitard out of her locker.

"Ignoring the twip. Hello Max." Rita smiled at her pink haired friend. Usually Terry was flanked by Dana as well, but the asian was nowhere to be seen today. Rita guessed they were on the outs again.

"Oooh, toasted." Max snorted, throwing her arm around Rita. She held her finger to Terry's shoulder, making a sizzling noise.

"Tch." Terry scoffed, leaning against the locker next to Rita's. Max and Rita shared a laugh as Rita threw her unitard over her shoulder. Max frowned at her as Terry led the trio out of the building.

"I guess you aren't having any fun after school." Max told Rita, gesturing to the unitard on her shoulder.

"Whatevs, Gymnastics is fun. You should give it a chance." Rita replied, to which Max rolled her eyes.

"No thanks, I think I'll stick to watching the olympics every few years."

"Yeah, me too." Terry joked as his attention was caught elsewhere. Rita pursed her lips, shooting him a look.

"You're a tool sometimes." She said, noticing his clenched jaw. Rita followed his gaze to the end of the sidewalk where Nelson Nash sat shoving some poor nerd.

"Lay off him, Nash." Terry said, walking up to the pair.

"Yeah, don't you have anything better to do?" Max interjected.

"You think I'm afraid of you and your band of misfits, McGinnis?" Nelson said as he turned to face them, his nerdy conquest forgotten.

"I dunno, _are you_?" Terry taunted him. Nelson took several steps forward and the two teens glowered at each other.

"Back it up." Rita sighed, shimmying between them. Nelson went to push her away, but Terry grabbed his wrist.

"You don't want this fight, Nash." Terry warned him. Nelson contemplated for a brief moment and seeing as he was out numbered he backed off.

"He's not worth my time." Nelson gestured to the nerd on the ground next to him. The large jock jumped at him and the boy flinched, covering his face, as Nelson walked off laughing. Rita sighed, crouching next to the boy.

"You okay?" She asked, helping him to his feet.

"I'm fine!" The boy yelled, pulling his shoulder out of Rita's grasp. Rita held her hands up in a sign of surrender. Teh boy stopped, frowning at her. "I'm sorry, I just hate him."

"Join the club." Rita snorted. The kid forced a smile.

"You shouldn't put up with that, Willie." Max said finally. Terry nodded in agreement.

"I don't really have a choice, do I?" Willie asked resentfully. Rita shivered at his sudden change in demeanor and the boy stalked away from them.

"Yeesh, testy." Max let a low whistle. Rita nodded her head in agreement, glancing up at Terry. The pair shared a pointed look, watching Willie's retreating figure curiously.

* * *

Rita stood quietly in the Batcave, stretching her legs in her new suit. She did a few tumbles, a couple of flips and several laps around the cave. Once she was satisfied she grinned at Bruce through her pointed cowl.

"How does it feel?" Bruce asked her, stifling a grin himself. She looked like a child at christmas, it reminded him of her father's excitement.

"Like a million creds." She told him.

"Good." Bruce grinned, pointing to his ears before pressing a button on his computer. Absentmindedly, Rita brought her hands up to her ears. "The pieces in your ears amplify the sound around you, as well as keep you in constant contact with Terry and myself." Rita nodded at him, hearing them buzz to life in her ears. It was weird, hearing every little thing in the Batcave, but she supposed she'd get used to it eventually. Rita reached over her shoulders, feeling the Eskrima sticks that were sheathed on her back. This was all so real and so amazing. "I've added several modifications to the sticks." Bruce told her, noticing her interest in them.

"Okay..." Rita said, pulling them out of their holsters.

"The buttons on the side, one allows for you to change their length," Bruce instructed. She pressed the first button, nearly jumping when the stick doubled in size. "And the second button is my personal favorite." Rita pressed the second button sending a wave of electricity through the blue tips of her sticks.

"Schway." Rita smirked at him as Terry entered the room. Terry paused, his jaw going slack. Rita looked good in her suit, very good. Bruce cleared his throat and Terry shook his head.

"Ready to go?" Terry asked Rita, pushing away any of his previous thoughts. She nodded excitedly and Terry smirked at her.

"The Batjet's not ready yet, I still have to install the second seat, but the Batcycle will do." Rita grimaced as Terry led her down to the black motorcycle. It was sleek looking, definitely fast and probably dangerous. Terry smirked at her reluctance.

"Big, bad Nightwing afraid of a bike?" He teased. Rita narrowed her eyes at him.

"In your dreams, Batboy."

* * *

Gotham was surprisingly quiet for the middle of the night in Gotham City. Rita sighed as she lounged on top of a wall. Terry sat, invisible, on the wall just underneath her, watching a street game of hoops.

"When you said ' _Hey, I wanna test out my new active camouflage_ ' this isn't what I thought you meant." She groaned.

"Well, what else is there to do?" Rita rolled her eyes, he was right and she was not happy with the way her first night of patrol was going. She wanted excitement, not streetball. Several sirens rang out and Rita sat up, her ears perking. She grinned mischievously

"Ah, the sound of our people."

"Just when the game was getting good." Terry pouted, deactivating his camo and jetting into the sky. The basket ball players stopped, pointing after him and Rita stepped out of the shadows. They gaped at her, seeing her for the first time, and she gave them a quick salute, before taking off after Terry.

"Looks like we have a 911 call at a local construction site. Report of stolen property." Bruce told them, causing Rita to frown.

"Here I thought I'd get some action."

"You should feel lucky your first night out is so easy. McGinnis almost died on his first run."

"Really?" Rita asked excitedly. Terry frowned at her as they landed on a piece of scaffolding. He didn't like how excited she sounded about the dangers of this job. He pushed his thoughts aside, turning his attentions to the construction site below them. There were several cop cars, workers and police officers on scene. One of the construction workers were already talking to one of the officers heatedly.

"I'm telling you! The Golem was right there before I took my break." The worker pointed to a vacant part of the lot.

"Golem?" The officer asked as she wrote something down on her pad.

"Galvanic Lifter Machine, GLM." A second voice said. Rita's eyes fell to the newest worker, judging by his uniform he was the site's foreman. He approached his worker quickly and he did not look to happy. "It's a robot, two stories tall, fifteen tons and this _jerk lost it_!" The man said, grabbing the first worker by his collar. Rita tensed but Terry placed a hand on her shoulder, shaking his head. The scuffle was easily broken up by the two officers and Rita breathed a sigh of relief.

"Did you get that, boss?" Terry asked.

"Yeah I did." Bruce responded after several moments.

"It seems like the guy just misplaced it to me." Rita said, looking up at Terry for confirmation. Terry narrowed his. "You don't look so convinced."

"It just seems odd that he'd misplace something so big..." Terry shrugged.

"It looks like you're right, Terry. Call was just put into dispatch, it seems a giant robot is terrorizing Gotham City's mall." Rita grinned at Bruce's words. It seemed she'd get to see some action tonight after all.

* * *

Rita knew they were in the right place as citizens began flooding from the mall _en masse_. Terry and Rita exchanged looks before flying to the roof. More screaming resounded and and Rita's eyes widened. below them, in the car park, was a massive robot, the Golem, and in his hands he was smashing a familiar red car.

"Nelson." Terry whispered, pointing to the ground. The red headed jock sat dumbly next to his now totaled car. Rita watched as the Golem lifted his hand, ready to smash Nelson the way it had just done his car.

Rita wasted no time and charged into the scene, Terry quick at her heels. Using an explosive Batarang, Terry distracted the thing while Rita landed on top of it. She struggled to hold on as the Golem bucked underneath her, her eyes searching for some kind of off switch. She came up empty as it's arm swung dangerously close to her head

"Nightwing! Hang on!" Terry shouted to her, but that was easier said than done. With one flick of the Golem's massive arm, Rita was sent flying. She skidded across the pavement, bouncing painfully before coming to a complete stop. She groaned in pain, sitting up slowly on her elbows.

The Golem ripped one of the support beams out of the wall, turning to Rita menacingly. It made to strike her, but Terry was faster. The Batman swooped over to Rita, taking her up in his arms, and running in the opposite direction of the robot. Not to be out done, the Golem swung the beam, which connected heavily with Terry's back, sending the dynamic duo headlong into a parked car.

They collapsed in a heap beside the vehicle and Rita shook her head, trying to shake the stars from her vision. Slowly, Terry and Rita pulled themselves to their feet as the Golem raise the beam to strike them down.

"Split up!" Terry said, tossing Rita to the side. He jumped away just as the Golem brought the beam down, smashing the car they'd flown into. Through a series of tumbles and flips, Rita landed on her feet, barely surprised to find the Golem chasing her down. It swung again, the beam connecting with the ground in front of her, and Rita jumped onto the beam, running up the Golem's arms and shoulders. From it's shoulders, Rita jumped to a nearby ledge.

The Golem rushed her, only to be thrown off course by another explosive Batarang. The Golem turned, it's focus solely on Terry, who expertly dodged it's attacks as he glided through the air. The Golem caught wise to his tactics and began anticipating Terry's flight pattern. Raised a heavy, metal hand, the Golem smacked Terry from the air and into a nearby generator. Terry hit with a loud thud, winded from the impact, and struggling to stand.

Rita could no longer watch and she flew to Terry, knocking both of them to the side just as the Golem's metal claw came down on the power grid. Sparks flew as the Golem short circuited, finally falling to the ground, where it remained unmoving.

"Are you two okay?" Wayne yelled through their earpieces. Rita nodded, her face flushing when she realized he couldn't see her.

"Yeah." She replied breathlessly.

"And the Golem?" He asked. Rita raised an eyebrow at the smoking metal heap in front fo her.

"It's toast." Terry groaned, rubbing his head.

"Good, get back to the cave, I want to re-watch footage of that thing."

* * *

 **Stay Beautiful y'all!**


	5. GOLEM (Pt 2)

The next morning Bruce had Terry and Rita up bright and early. He'd re-wacthed the footage and done some digging through the police reports from the attack on the mall.

"They found the GOLEM's control halo on the rooftop of the mall." Bruce said matter of factly, bringing up the giant robot's specs.

"Any chance they found the head that goes with it?" Terry asked as he began to read what Bruce had pulled up on his computer.

"No such luck." Bruce frowned. Quietly her pulled up footage of the attack from before Rita and Terry arrived.

"Wait, wait, back it up." Rita asked him. Bruce rewound the tape and Rita gasped.

"See something?" Bruce seemed to be asking a question he already knew the answer to.

"The GOLEM went straight for Nelson's car." Rita whispered, looking over at Terry.

"Know anyone who might have a grudge against him?" Bruce asked, earning a smirk from both of the teens.

"The line starts with me and goes around the block." Terry said cooly.

"Twice." Rita added, earning another smirk from Terry.

"Well the GOLEM is in the Police Impound Facility awaiting a full investigation." Bruce stood, looking the two of them. "But I suggest you find out who's behind it. I don't think we've seen the last of the GOLEM."

* * *

Terry sat quietly in class mulling over what Bruce had said about the GOLEM. His eyes found Rita, whose nose was buried in her bio-chem book. She gave a wide yawn, blinking the sleep from her eyes and Terry smirked at her.

 _Seems Nightwing isn't adjusted to her new schedule._ He humored as her eyelids drooped. The bell rang and Rita nearly jumped out of her seat as it startled her awake. Her cheeks flushed a deep red when she realized it was just the days final bell. Terry stood, making his way over to her.

"What am I gonna do?" She whined, wiping her eyes. "I'm dead for tumbling practice." Terry grinned at her, picking up her satchel and her Bio-Chem book.

"You'll get used to it." Terry told her, slinging her bag over his shoulder and putting away her text book. "Lets get you an energy drink so you don't fall asleep on the uneven bars." He teased as he led her out of the classroom.

The halls had thinned out immensely as Terry and Rita walked to her locker. Max was already waiting for them there, waving excitedly.

"Hey." Rita greeted her, unenthusiastic. Max frowned at her.

"Wow, you look terrible." Max said. Rita threw her a look, reaching for her gymnastics uniform.

"Gee Thanks." She said sarcastically. Max went to say something else when her eyes fell behind Terry and Rita. Intrigued by Max's frown, Rita turned just in time to see Blaze give Willie Watt a peck on the cheek before walking away quickly.

"What the hell was that?" Terry asked, his eyebrows shooting to the sky. Rita shook her head silently, also puzzled.

"You think I'm gonna let some twip take my girl?" An angry voice asked suddenly. Nelson stepped forward, shoving Willie against a row of lockers. Rita slammed her locker, watching angrily as as Nelson threatened the boy, only to smile sweetly at a passing teacher. "You're safe, twip. For now." Nelson threatened quietly, slapping Willies face lightly.

Rita frowned at the poor boy while he sulked against the locker. She wanted to go talk to him, tell him everything was okay. Willie suddenly looked down at his hands and Rita gasped as they sparked momentarily. She blinked a few times, wiping her eyes, only to find the sparks gone. Terry gave her a weird look and she shrugged it off.

"I need more sleep." She muttered, following Terry and Max to the door. "And I think you promised me an energy drink, McGinnis." Rita said suddenly lurching forward as a student shoved violently passed her.

"HEY!" Terry shouted. The figure stopped, it was Willie. Terry softened, suddenly feeling bad for yelling at him. "You okay Willie?" Willie's innocent deer in headlights look quickly faded into something more sinister.

"I'm fine... Just fine..." Willie said. Rita shuddered at his words, instinctually taking a step away from him. She didn't like the look in his eyes, not one bit.

* * *

Rite frowned quietly from where she stood next to the punch bowl, Max by her side. She had been drug to the school dance and forced to wear a skimpy dress all in the name of high school popularity. Max nudged her shoulder.

"You could at least pretend to enjoy your evening out and away from Bruce Wayne's ever watchful eye." Max told her. Rita shrugged. Personally she'd rather be vigilante-ing than attend a public high school dance. She didn't say that, however, and instead shimmied her hips lightly.

I may as well try, right? Rita thought, looking into the crowd. Rita had chosen a little black dress and at the behest of her friend she'd worn her hair down. It felt so foreign to Rita, it wasn't often she had her hair down.

"Where's Terry?" Rita asked over the loud music. Max craned her neck, finally pointing into the crowd. Terry was currently dancing with Dana Tan, his on again, off again, on again girlfriend. Rita grimaced, though she didn't know why.

"I see the green monster rears it's ugly head." Max teased. Rita rolled her eyes.

"It does not." The brunette told her pink haired friend. Max gave her a pointed look before shoving her over to the dance floor.

"Well lets get out there and show him what he's missing!" Before Rita could protest Max had forced her onto the dance floor. "Hey Terry!" Max said happily as her and Rita joined Dana and him. Terry smiled up at his friends before quickly doing a double take. Rita was clad in every essence of the term Little Black Dress. Her coal black hair fell delicately past her shoulders, contrasting nicely with her pale skin and blue eyes.

"Hey..." Terry muttered, forcibly keeping his jaw from dropping. Rita waved with her fingers, clearly embarrassed, but for what Terry didn't know.

Rita cleared her throat, awkwardly swaying to the music. From the corner of her eyes she watched Dana and Max as they swayed in time with the punk beat that was playing. After a while, Rita realized she wasn't ever going to dance as well as them and quietly excused herself to the bar. After ordering a soda, Rita turned to watch the dance floor. Willie came towards her from the crowd, a smile on his face.

"Hi, Rita." He said happily. Rita waved at him.

"You look chipper." She told him. Clearly he was over whatever happened at school the other day.

"I'm here with the hottest girl in school." Willie sighed, ordering two drinks. He pointed behind him where Blade awkwardly stood. Rita raised her eyebrow at him, wiggling it suggestively. Willie blushed. Suddenly a figure shoved Rita to the side.

"Hey!" Rita snapped, nearly breaking her ankle as she stumbled in her pumps. The brunette glared up at the person who shouved her, the one and only Nelson Nash.

"Can it, Greyson. Willie and I gotta have a talk." Nelson told her, eyeing her menacingly. Nelson grabbed Willie by his upper arm and began dragging him off into the crowd. Rita growled after him.

"Where are you taking him!?" Rita yelled, with no reply. From across the dance floor Rita saw Nelson open the back access door, the one that led to the docks of the pier.

With minor difficulty, Rita made her way to the back door. She hesitated, breathing deeply. She knew if Nelson was pounding on Willie she would definitely lose her cool. Rita flung the door open, just as Nelson and several of his cronies tossed Willie over the dock ledge and into the bay below.

"Willie!" Rita screamed, catching the bullies attention. Nelson glared at her, briskly walking over to her. He raised his fist to Rita, bringing it down on the door behind her.

"You're lucky I gotta get back to my girl Greyson." He spat, to which his cronies dumbly agreed. Rita shoved him aside, running to the edge of the dock. Willie flailed helplessly in the water below.

"Hold on Willie!" Rita called down to him, removing her shoes and placing her purse on the ground next to them. Taking a deep breath, Rita dove into the water. A shiver ran down her spine as she broke the cold surface. Shrugging it off, she swam towards Willie's thrashing self. "It's okay, I got you!" Rita told him, tossing his arm over her shoulder and dragging him up the ladder.

Rita pushed Willie up first and once they reached the top Rita sighed. Willie said nothing from where he sat on his knees, merely stared at the ground, his hands in his lap. Rita frowned at him sadly, taking his hand, only to find him trembling.

"Willie... Say something..." Rita pleaded, squeezing his hand. He pulled away from her and Rita frowned.

"Get out of here, Greyson." Willie whispered coldly.

"What?"

"I SAID GET OUT OF HERE!" He shouted. Rita shivered as Willie's eyes changed from their normal brown to an electric blue. The troubled teen stood, staring back behind Rita and the girl cautiously turned around, only to find herself face to face with the GOLEM as it rose from the oceans depths. Rita gasped at the giant thing, looking quickly between Willie and the GOLEM. The boy grinned at her evilly. "You should've left when I gave you the chance!" He scowled, raising his arm. It all made sense now, why the GOLEM was after Nelson and Nelson alone. Willie was controlling it.

The GOLEM raised its arm, in sync with Willie, ready to smash Rita where she stood. Quickly, Rita grabbed up her purse, taking off back into the club, only narrowly missing the GOLEM's sweeping, metal fist. Rita slammed the door shut behind her, even though she knew it wouldn't do any good, before checking her purse for her suit and cowl, and pulling the nearest fire alarm.

The club's alarm blared loudly and Rita covered her ears, not prepared for the loud siren. She had caused a panic when she pulled the switch and the crowd of teens quickly scattered out onto the boardwalk, just as the GOLEM's heavy foot crashed through the club's roof. Rita dove behind the bar, out of sight from the panicked crowd, and changed into her suit.

The GOLEM followed the crowd onto the boardwalk, but Rita already knew who it wanted. She spotted Nelson several feet away, the GOLEM already bearing down on him. Kicking on her jets, Rita flew at Nelson, grabbing him up and into the air just in time, right before the GOLEM's foot crashed into the concrete where Nelson once stood.

"Thanks!" Nelson smiled at her, causing her to grimace.

"Don't mention it. Ever." Rita said sweetly, dropping the bully into the cold water below. The GOLEM turned it's attention to her, snatching her from the air with a vice like grip. Rita groaned, struggling against it, to no avail. Willie stood on the boardwalk bellow, glaring up at her.

"You should've stayed out of it, Batgirl." Willie sneered. Rita could feel GOLEM's grip tightening around her waist as she struggled to breathe. Suddenly the GOLEM tossed her through the air. Rita flinched, ready for an impact that never came. Instead of hard ground, she was greeted by two strong arms.

"We need to stop meeting like this." Terry joked, fully adorned in his suit and cowl. Rita narrowed her eyes at him, secretly happy he'd been there to catch her. Rita and Terry returned to the fray, only to find Willie and the GOLEM chasing the violent foreman from the other day.

"Who's the wuss now, dad?" Willie taunted the man, swinging the GOLEM's arm at him.

"Well, that explains that." Rita muttered quietly.

"Sure does." Terry scowled. Willie's dad had bullied him too. Rita dropped from Terry's arms, landing behind Willie.

"Hey!" She yelled. Willie turned, surprised. "My name is Nightwing." She sneered at him.

"I don't care!" Willie raged as the GOLEM turned to face her. Terry, seeing his opportunity, threw two explosive batarangs at the GOLEM, catching it off guard. While Willie was distracted, Rita lunged at him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. He struggled against her, to no avail, and Terry managed to wrangle the GOLEM in the nearby swing ride.

"No!" Willie yelled as the GOLEM and the ride both exploded. Willie managed to free himself from Rita's grip, and he ran to the smoldering GOLEM, crying as he did. "Come back! Please!" Willie pleaded as the light died from the GOLEM's only eye. Rita frowned, rubbing her sore abs, hissing as she did.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there." Terry told her, frowning as she rubbed her ribs.

"Oh please, I had him." Rita brushed him off. Terry smirked at her, turning to walk away.

"You looked great tonight." Terry told her, glancing back over his shoulder. Rita felt her cheeks flush.

"Thanks, I have two great mentors." She threw the compliment back at him. Terry gave a light chuckle and shook his head.

"I meant the dress, twip." He said, jetting off into the night sky. Rita's face flushed an even deeper shade of crimson.

 _He liked my dress?_ She thought with a stupid grin, before fist pumping the air.

* * *

 **Stay Beautiful y'all!**


	6. Hidden Agenda (Pt 1)

Rita shook out her neck and shoulders, gripping the blue mat under her feet with her toes. She'd been working on the uneven bars on her new routine for the upcoming meet and today was her first dress run through. Confidently, she stepped up to the bars, presenting herself to the audience and the invisible judges.

As she was presenting herself, she caught Terry sneaking back into the gym. since her first run in with the Jokerz Gang, the night he was late, Bruce made it a point to have Terry back early or on time to all of her practices. Think of it as team building exercises. Bruce had told him. Rita smirked at Terry as he sighed, taking a heavy seat in the stands.

In one fluid motion, Rita had mounted the shorter of the two bars. Terry crossed his arms, sitting back in his seat, trying to pretend he didn't enjoy watching her routines. When Bruce first told him to be here for Rita's practice he complained about it. Gymnastics, to him, was boring and it was a waste of perfectly good patrol time. Bruce claimed that it would help build their team chemistry. Terry didn't understand until he watched her for a few practices. She used quite a bit of Gymnastics in her combat style, and watching them over and over again helped him to get more comfortable with her movements in the field.

Rita was coming to the toughest part of her routine, one of the last things her father taught her, a triple gainer onto the higher bar with an aerial dismount. Rita steeled herself, feeling her hands leave the shorter bar. She held her breath, beginning her flips as she counted them off in her head.

 _One... two... three..._ Rita grinned, completing her flips, and reached for the taller bar in front of her with both hands. Rita was home free, or so she thought, and as she looped around for the dismount, she felt her hands slide loose.

Terry watched with wide eyes as Rita pulled her final move. He was ready to cheer when he saw her hands come loose of the final bar. Rita fell in slow motion and as her body hit the mat a resounding thud filled the gym.

Terry stood, ready to leap from the stands, his heart pounding in his chest. Rita didn't move, a thought that struck fear into his heart. While he had seen her take worse beatings, it was always with the protection of the suit.

Rita laid perfectly still on the mat, honestly shocked by what just happened. It wasn't often that she missed a bar. Quietly she rolled over, seeing her team mates on their way to her already.

"Slag it!" Rita hissed, punching the mat angrily. Her eyes burned and she blinked back tears, whether they were from frustration or pain she didn't know. Slowly she sat up, running a hand down her face. Looking up into the stands she met eyes with Terry. He frowned at her sadly.

"Miss Greyson are you alright?" Coach Hackett asked, standing over her.

"I'm fine." Rita lied, standing up and stretching her sore back. "Just tired." The coach frowned at her before turning to the rest of the team.

"Alright ladies!" Coach Hackett said, clapping her hands. "We've all been working really hard for this upcoming meet. I think we deserve an early day!" The coach turned back to Rita, but she was already on her way to the locker room.

* * *

Terry waited patiently outside the locker room. The rest of the girls had come and gone, leaving Terry antsy. He fidgeted nervously, biting his lip.

"Five more minutes and I'm storming the castle." He said to himself.

"Don't bother, I'm right here." Rita said glumly as she pushed open the locker room door. Her sudden appearance startled Terry and her glared at her, his arms crossed.

"What's got you all tizzed?" He asked, following her to the gym doors. Rita shrugged, pulling her jacket tighter as the pair stepped outside. She remained quiet, walking towards the car, barely even noticing that Terry was following behind her. Rita climbed into the car, Terry crossing to the drivers side and taking his seat. He sat silent for a moment, choosing his words carefully. "You looked good out there tonight." He said finally, satisfied.

" _Tch_." Rita huffed, sinking deeper into her seat. "That routine was a trainwreck from start to finish." Rita growled, not taking her eyes off the front windshield. Terry sighed, pulling the towncar out of the high school's lot, the air in the car suddenly growing stagnant.

"You wanna talk about it?" He asked, hoping to illicit some kind of response from her.

"No." Rita replied flatly. Again he sighed. What was he supposed to do with that answer?

"You've still got a few weeks until the meet. You'll get it." Rita narrowed her eyes at him, silencing him. Slowly she reached over to the radio, clicking it on. Terry gave her his best bitchface as she turned away from him to look out her window.

 _Schway_. He thought sarcastically to himself. _Super schway._

* * *

Rita's foul mood had lessened somewhat the next day, at least now Terry could get full sentences out of her. He was thankful for that, as patrol last night had gone horribly. She still wasn't talking much, a fact that he found oddly disheartening. While it was true, Rita did have a mouth on her, he preferred her sass to her silence any day.

Not only did he miss her glib, but the lack of communication had gotten them into a giant mess with a gang of Jokers. He zigged when he needed to zag and she zigged right into him, nearly knocking both of them out cold. Needless to say, he was surprised they made it out of there in one piece.

Silently, Terry, Rita, Max and Dana made their way through the halls. The lunch bell had rang and Rita was happy to be free to eat, until she saw the postings for the GAT scores.

"The GAT scores are up." Terry sighed unhappily.

"I don't even want to know what I did." Dana whined, rubbing a hand down her face. Dana reached out, clicking a few buttons on the keyboard. "Hey Max, what's your ID?"

"The last prime number before my birthday." Max told her matter of factly. Dana and Terry exchanged a confused glance. Max grinned at them, slowly typing in her number.

"2400?!" Terry exclaimed, looking at his friend, shocked. "You got a perfect score?"

"Yeah, well it's just a number." Max shrugged. "What's your ID number, Rita?" Terry turned, she'd been so quiet he alost forgot she was there.

"4228" Rita said quietly, distracted. After a brief second the screen flashed her picture and a bright red 2250. Rita smiled, the first one he'd seen her crack all day.

"I guess all that studying paid off, twip." He teased, hoping to get another positive reaction.

"Yeah, well, _it's just a number_." Rita parroted Max, smirking at Terry mischeivously.

 _Sass? I'll take it._ Terry thought happily.

"Lets see what Terry got." Dana said, punching in his number. His picture popped up along with a big red INCOMPLETE. "Incomplete? How do you get an incomplete on the GAT?"

"Just some emergency. I had to leave before the test was over." Terry shrugged. Rita frowned, clucthing her books tighter to her test.

"Sometimes a feel like you arrange for these emergencies." Max pried. Rita fought the urge to shake her head. She remembered that day. Terry had volunteered to take that call for Batman. Several Jokers had caused a dangerous scene on an air taxi. It was no biggie, one vigilante was more than enough and if Rita had skipped out on the test she'd have been dropped from Gymnastics team, not to mention completely ruin her GPA. Terry made the call to take one for the team.

"No such luck." Terry joked back, scratching the back of his head. Max and Dana both rolled their eyes, turning and walking down the hallway. Terry motioned to follow them, but Rita stopped him, grabbing his wrist.

"Thanks for that." Rita muttered.

"Come on, It was the least I could do. I know how much you nerds care about your grades." Terry teased her. Rita snorted, glaring at him, before letting a small smile slip. "She does smile."

"You're a twip." Rita told him, brushing her long dark hair over her shoulder before following after Max and Dana. Terry smirked, hiking his school bag higher on to his shoulder as Rita grinned over her shoulder at him.

* * *

The rest of the day went by quickly after that. After Rita and Terry's exchange at the GAT board had helped to rid her of her foul mood, and she found herself able to enjoy her day. Hell, she was even looking forward to Gymnastics practice. Rita, who had found herself lost in thought, was startled from her silent reverie by a familiar voice.

"Hey, Max!" Rita and the gang turned to find a handsome redhead wearing a letterman's jacket approaching them. He smiled at Rita before turning towards her friend with a handsome smile. Rita felt her face flush, and unbeknownst to her Terry stiffened at her side. "Congrats on the top score!" He told her genuinely, exchanging a high five with her.

"No big whoop. It's just a test." Max shrugged.

"Oh don't be so modest, Max!" Rita felt herself blurt out. Max turned to look at her, raising an eyebrow at her friend. "You've got a good shot at being valedictorian if you wanted!" Rita continued. The redhead chuckled, standing back on his heels casually. Again he looked at Rita, studying her up and down.

"So I should expect some friendly competition, then?" The boy teased.

"Rita, this is Carter Wilson, the current front runner for Valedictorian." Max told her with a knowing grin. Rita made a silent _oh_ , her cheeks flushed again, while Carter once more gave her that dashing grin.

"No biggie, you're still new here and it's a big school. I'll try not to take offense at your unfamiliarity." Carter told her.

"Thanks for that." Rita replied. Terry fought the urge to scowl. He was flirting with her! And she didn't mind it at all!

"Well, we should probably get going, Rita. Mr Wayne would be tilted if you missed your Gymnastics practice." Terry stepped in suddenly, earning a queer look from everyone involved. Max snickered, interlacing her arms with Dana.

"It was a pleasure to see you, Carter." Max told the ginger boy, looking up at Terry. "Terry, lead the way to our lockers, I seem to have forgotten were mine is." Max told him, shoving him forward. Terry agreed, throwing an arm around Dana Tan's unknowing shoulder. Rita turned to follow, giving Carter one last smile.

"Rita, right?" He called after her, stopping her in her tracks.

"Yeah, sure." Rita told him, cocking her hip to her side. "Rita Greyson."

"Well, Ms Greyson, if you aren't busy Friday night, I'd really like to take you out without your scheduler hovering over our shoulder?" His words took a minute to register with her, and she struggled to keep her composure.

"I-I'd like that." Rita nearly sputtered. Carter, who seemed able to sense her nervousness, only smiled at her, giving her a slight bow.

"How does 7:30 sound?"

"I'll have to check with my scheduler." Rita teased, shrugging her shoulders.

"I'll see you then." Carter chuckled. Rita was left speechless, as she moved to join her friends on unsteady legs. Terry, who had led the girls to their lockers already, watched her with narrowed eyes as she joined them at her's, opening it with a dumb smile on her face.

"So when's the date?" Max asked her bluntly.

"Friday." Rita grinned at her, causing the pink haired girl to pump her fist.

"Are you serious? He's like the smartest guy in school!" Dana nearly swooned, much to Terry's chagrin.

"Did you ask Mr Wayne?" Terry butted in, silencing the three women. Rita scoffed at him, glaring.

"Mr Wayne is not my keeper, Terry."

"Yeah, but you have responsibilities." Terry reminded her. Rita's heart sank, but her scowl only deepened. She raised her finger to say something when Max butted in.

"Terry, take a pill. I don't think one date is going to de-rail her academic future." Max told him, shutting her locker. Rita followed her lead, her Gymnastics unitard slung over her shoulder.

"Yeah, McGinnis." Rita sneered, walking off towards the gym. Max's brows shot to the sky and she whistled a low sound, before heading off towards the computer lab.

"Come one guys. I want to show you my newest project, you know, once Terry has thawed out from that freeze." Max called over her shoulder. Terry groaned, rolling his eyes. Great, he'd gone and pissed his partner off, again. His malcontentedness only deepened when he looked down at his girlfriend, who watched him with an accusatory stare.

"What they hell was that, Terry?" Dana asked him, her arms crossed and her foot tapping on the cold linoleum.

"What?"

"You're not her guardian, Bruce Wayne is." Dana reminded him. "So why do I feel like you showed way more interest in her personal life than is socially acceptable?"

"Dana! It's not like that! I told Mr Wayne I'd look out for her-"

"I don't think I like this arrangement, then." Dana told him before storming away after their pink haired friend. Terry groan, running a tired hand down his face.

 _Great, just great._

* * *

Rita and Terry didn't speak again until that night on patrol, and even then they said very little. But still she listened when Terry told her about Max's newest project, one that she so happened to miss out on while she was at gymnastics. Apparently in her free time, Max had created a database, that ran on a logarithm that collected data on Batman. She had already narrowed down Batman's height and age. The scariest part about it? She had tracked his sightings down to Hamilton High School, and she believed him to be a current student.

To be honest, listening to his story was hard, she was still peeved at him for treating her like such a child. Rita had had plenty of boyfriend's before, she knew how to date and juggle her academics. She could surely date and juggle her vigilante life. That thought alone caused them to return to their silence after he was done informing her about Max's project.

"You two are being children." Bruce Wayne's voice crackled over the intercom, startling the both of them.

"One of us _is_ a child, Bruce." Rita shot back, glaring at Terry through her cowl. Terry scowled.

"Pardon me for being concerned about who you're dating." He shot back.

"Date? What date?" Bruce asked them, annoyed.

"I have a date on Friday and The Batman seems to have a problem with it." Rita spat.

"I just think that Nightwing has bigger responsibilities than boys." Terry returned, emphasis on the term boys.

"Oh come off it! He's the smartest boy in school!" Rita growled.

"Smartest boy in school?" Bruce interjected, a sense of pride taking shape in his chest.

"Yeah, the Valedictorian." Terry grumbled. Bruce stiffened in his chair, was that jealousy?

"Oh... I am not doing this with you two." Bruce growled through the receiver. Rita could literally hear the scowl on his face. He remembered what it was like between Dick Greyson and Barbara, he was definitely not doing this with them. Bruce went to speak, when the alarm went off on his computer.

"Something for us?" Terry asked. Rita mimicked him under her cowl, earning a glare.

"Looks like it." The line went quiet for a second before Bruce spoke again. "A group of Jokers broke into Hamilton Hill High. They've already trashed the outside."

* * *

If the outside of Hamilton Hill High School was bad, the inside was MUCH much worse. They spray painted every wall, destroyed several rows of lockers. Rita felt a twinge in her chest as she saw the poor student's homework and books scattered everywhere. The slunk quietly through the halls, following the trail of destruction past the totaled interface that displayed the GAT scores, to the computer lab.

"There's only one way in or out, this should be an easy grab." Terry told Rita, who hummed, uninterested. Terry scowled, hands on the door, silently counting down before kicking it open.

The four jokers inside stopped, turning to look at the Dynamic Duo in shock. Rita noticed, however, that one of them seemed to almost welcome them, a giant smirk on his pale, skeleton painted face.

"Ah, I've been expecting you, Batman. Figured you'd want a rematch for last week." The skeleton joker teased. Rita turned to look at Terry, remembering how the jokers he fought on the day of GAT got away.

"I won't make that mistake again." Terry told him angrily, flexing his fists at his sides. Rita, sighed, crouching before jumping halfway across the room.

"Nightwing!"

"Greyson!" She heard Bruce and Terry shout simultaneously in her ear. She ignored them, however, she needed a release for her frustrations, and decided to find them on Skeleton Guy's face. Surprise be to her when he dodged her attack, sidestepping her with ease. Landing behind him, Rita turned, receiving a swift kick in her abdomen, knocking her back a few feet.

"I was wondering when I'd get to meet Nightwing. I was rather disappointed when you didn't show up last week." The Skeleton Joker pouted. Rita scowled at him.

"I apologize, you weren't very high on my priority list."

"That's unfortunate. Everyone should know the name Terminal." He told her, lunging at her again. Rita jumped backwards, this time running right into a computer desk, giving Terminal ample time to catch up to her. Another well place punch knocked her nearly across the room, and she skidded across the linoleum floor several feet before stopping. "You're not very fast for a hero."

"And you hit like a girl." Rita taunted him, taking to her feet. Gently she placed a hand on her jaw, which throbbed with pain.

"It's still harder than you." Terminal sneered. Rita growled, lunging at him again, but this time he was prepared, and pulled a giant baton out from behind his back. It crackled to life, the energy sparking at its tip as he smiled at her menacingly. Rita couldn't stop, though and in an instant he swung the thing at her, which connected violently with her side, sending jolts of electricity up her spine.

"Nightwing!" She heard Terry shout from somewhere across the room. Rita was stunned, only dropping to the ground once the shockwave had dissipated. She landed hard on her shoulder, her muscles spasming violently. She watched in horror as Terminal stood over her, waiting for then end. Rita was shocked, however, when the end didn't come, and instead the Jokers retreated towards the door.

"I'll give you a rain check, girl. Next time you should bring your A game." Terminal sneered, slamming the door behind him.

"Rita! Rita!" Bruce yelled over the coms. "Terry! What's her status?!" Giant hands grabbed Rita's shoulders, pulling her into their lap.

"She's alive, I think she's fine. She ate a tazer baton to her side." Terry told him quietly. Through blurred vision, Rita stared up at Terry's face. Even through his cowl she could see the concern on his face. Rita tried to speak, but only managed a strangled moan. "Don't. I'm going to get you home." Terry told her quietly, his voice soft.

"Promise?" Rita hissed, her voice returned. Her words struck Terry, somewhere deep. What did that mean? Didn't she trust him?

"I promise." Terry swallowed. "You'll be home with enough time to finish your homework, nerd." He joked, eliciting a small smile from his partner as her eyelids began to flutter. He knew she was gonna pass out, which she did, leaving her dead weight in his arms.

"Get her home, NOW." Bruce growled, his intercom going dead.

* * *

When they arrived at the batcave, Bruce was there waiting for them. Even though she regained consciousness shortly after their joker encounter, Bruce was outraged. If it hadn't been for Terry, Bruce would have scrapped her suit then and there. But some how, by a stroke of pure dumb luck, he talked Bruce down from the ledge. Terry needed her assistance, and Bruce knew she would not go quietly.

"But she is grounded." Bruce told him stubbornly, to which Terry agreed. "She is to be home every night unless she's with you. That means no date on Friday." Bruce leveled a finger at the teen. "And no patrol for a week."

"Yeah, you tell her that." Terry mumbled, as they stood quietly outside of Rita's room. Something flashed behind Bruce's eyes, but he said nothing, instead, peaking once again into Rita's room. "She's going to be okay, Bruce, The suit ate most of the damage."

"I know." Bruce told him, his voice gruff. "I created the damn thing, didn't it?" The old man growled, hobbling away. "And fix whatever is going on between you before it gets her killed next time!" Bruce yelled over his shoulder. Terry watched him go quietly, leaning on the door frame outside of Rita's room. He felt guilty, it was his fault she was injured. He'd went and tilted her, and she didn't have her head on straight because of him. Terry bit his bottom lip, a feeling nagging in his belly. He had been jealous of that dumb Wilson kid and look where his jealousy had gotten them.

Terry turned, looking over his shoulder at the girl who now laid asleep in her bed. She was fine, she would continue to be fine. She was up and sassing them not 20 minutes ago, asking him for her homework so she could finish it before school tomorrow, arguing with Bruce when he told her she wasn't going to be going. But my GPA, she'd argued.

"Nerd." Terry chuckled half-heartedly, silently shutting her door and walking towards the stairs.

* * *

 **Stay Beautiful yall!**


	7. Hidden Agenda (Pt 2)

The next week went by in a blur. Rita was livid. Bruce had grounded her all week, and Terry was unfortunately her baby sitter. She'd missed three days of patrol and four days of school due to her recent accident, all spent under Bruce Wayne's _loving care_. Terry, however, reported back to her nightly, and after their most recent run in with the Joker gang, Terry hadn't seen or heard anything from them. They had taken a serious break from their crime spree, something that did not bode well for Gotham City. Also, she'd had to cancel her date Friday night, Bruce wouldn't allow her to leave, and had to make up a lame excuse about being sick.

Monday lunch time came quickly for Rita, even though it was her least favorite time of the day. She didn't have lunch with any of her few friends, Terry, Max and Dana all had early lunch and Rita hadn't had time to make any new friends. So, suffice it to say, she was surprised that while she was sitting at lunch, Carter Wilson stepped up to her lonely table.

"Is this seat taken?" He asked her quietly. Rita paused, mid bite, shaking her head lightly before putting her sandwich back on her plate. Again his smile hit her, causing her legs to go weak, and he slid in the seat across from her. "How are you feeling today?" He asked her, alluding to her cancellation Friday.

"I'm feeling much better." Rita told him awkwardly.

"Ah. Good. Was it a bug or..?"

"No. I hurt myself at gymnastics practice, fell weird on a bar and cracked a rib." Rita joked, pointing to her side. "But I can walk now so..." She ended with a shrug. Carter just smiled and nodded, his eyes lingering on her side before flickering up to her face.

"I see, well I'm sorry you injured yourself. Maybe, since you're feeling better, we could make it up this evening?" He smiled at her.

"I wish I could. I promised my friend Max I would help her out in the computer lab after tumbling tonight." Rita frowned at him. Carter, ever resilient, bounced back with a smile, his entire demeanor changed. He didn't seem like a man who had just been rejected.

"That's too bad." Carter told her, running his hand through his hair before standing. Rita suppressed a frown, watching him go, silently trying to brush off the sudden chill. He'd dismissed her so casually, and even though she rejected him, it definitely felt like the other way around. Suppressing a frown, Rita sighed. Maybe Terry was right, she had more important things to worry about instead of dating.

 _Batman never dated._ She snorted, imaging Bruce Wayne on a date with his batsuit under his fancy outfit. No, he most certainly did not.

* * *

Terry had finally gotten a call on the band of Jokers that left Rita injured. They were back at Hamilton Hill High School, vandalizing the damn place again. He had no idea why they were so fascinated with the public school, there were definitely nicer schools to rob, if that was their end game, and destroying Hamilton Hill wouldn't displace that many students. It was the smallest school in the district.

But here he found himself, pulling up to the High School with his newly renovated Batjet, second seat still empty. He had to constantly tell himself she'd be back in a few days, and remind himself that she was perfectly fine. But the Batjet was still silent as ever. The jokers turned as soon as they saw him approach, ceasing their vandalism.

"Do you want to explain what you're doing here?" Terry asked them as he opened the Batjet's cockpit. The Joker in the orange get up turned, smirked at him.

"Actually, no." He chuckled, the three of them taking off around the side of the building. Terry sighed, sitting back down in his seat and starting up his thrusters.

The jokers seemed determined to lead him on a chase, one that he was apprehensive of because Terminal, their leader, was missing from the three. Ever alert, Terry followed them down several back alleys, taking lefts and rights around buildings and parking garages. The three of them managed to lose him in a factory, but that didn't matter. Terry knew where they would be making their exit, and he anticipated them easily, setting up a tripwire trap for them at the door.

Unable to stop in time, the Jokers crashed head long into his ploy, knocking them from their bikes which crashed in a heap down the alley. The jokers struggled to their feet, attempting to scatter. Terry wasted no time, leaping from his seat he tackled the female Joker and the Clown she shared a bike with, knocking them out cold. the man in orange froze and Terry grabbed his shoulder, cocking his fist back to knock his lights out, only stopping when he saw the Hamilton Hill High School I.D. badge around his neck. It was Max's.

"What are you doing with this?" Terry demanded to know, surprising the Joker when he dropped his fist to grab the I.D.

"I use it to scrapes bugs from my windshield. Guess it isn't working. You're still here." The Orange Joker teased, earning a growl from Terry.

"You've been breaking into school lockers. Why?"

"Just her locker, to send a message." The Joker informed him, words that left a pit of dread in Terry's belly. "She's a threat." Terry's heart sank. Earlier this week, after the Jokers had vandalized Hamilton High School the first time, they left a dangerous surprise in Max's locker, a cream pie filled with a brick. Terry didn't really consider it a deliberate attempt on her life, they were Jokers, they'd probably vandalized a few locker's like that. Until now.

"Because she can figure you clowns beneath your grease paint?" Terry asked him. Max had vowed to use her Batman Logarithm to find these Joker's true identities. Terry knew that it would put a target on her back, and he supposed that it did. Terry narrowed his eyes at the Joker, taking two fistfuls of his clothes and jostling him again.

"I don't know nothing about any of that. I just do what I'm told."

"Tell your boss to back off. I'll get Max off his tail. You think you can relay that message for me?" Terry warned the Clown, who shrugged indifferently. Through with him, Terry tossed the Clown to the ground with an impressive display of force.

"Yeah, but you might have to give us a lift back to the school because that's where we left him." The Clown told Terry.

"Why?!" Terry growled, stepping forward. The clown cowered at his feet.

"Boss found out that the girl would be staying late after school with one of her nerdy friends. Something about a project she needed to finish." Terry felt his heart sink and he struggled to hide his dismay. _Rita_. He thought. He remembered Bruce saying something about her staying late after school to make up some work, but he didn't even think about it until right now. Two of his close friends were sitting in a deadly trap, and neither of them were aware of the danger they were in.

* * *

Rita sighed, leaning back in her chair ans stretching out. She was surprised when Bruce let her stay later after school, but she knew he couldn't turn down her working on homework. Besides, Max needed help on her Batman Logarithm, which Bruce was very inclined to have Rita sabotage. So it was a surprise to Rita when Max told her that she was changing it to find the Jokers instead.

Apparently, after the Jokers vandalized the school on Monday, They had had left a surprise in Max's locker in the form of a cream pie with a brick in it. It nearly hit her in the face when it exploded from he locker. Rita suppressed a smirk as she listened to her friend tell her how little she appreciated the near death experience.

"Besides, if I wanted to run the Batman Logarithm again, I'd have to start over and write a new program." Max shrugged.

"Why?" Rita asked, trying desperately to solve for x, but still coming up with the wrong answer.

"It seems that Batman has himself a new partner?" Rita's breath hitched in her throat. She recovered well, however, turning to her friend with a smirk.

"Oh really? Is he cute?"

"I'm not sure. But I am certain that he is a she." Max returned the smirk, turning back to her computer and inputting more codes. "Talk about girl power." Max chuckled. Rita nodded slowly, all wind gone from her sails.

 _Slag it_. She thought, all concentration on her Algebra homework gone. If Max could figure out Batman's height and age range, then she'd surely be able to figure out Nightwing's. It was only a matter of time before she knew the truth. Bruce was gong to have a fit when he found out. Rita turned in her chair, turning to look at her friend again, when an eerie sound came over the schools PA. The sound of deep, bone chilling laughter.

Both women stopped, standing in from their chairs to look at the door to the computer lab. Rita was on edge and she expected that door to bust open at any moment. Surprisingly, it never did, but the chilling laughter continued.

"Hello?" Max yelled, unsure.

"I'm sure it's just a prank. Probably Terry here to pick me up." Rita reassured her friend. "He thinks he's so funny." But the brunette didn't even believe her owns words, how could she expect Max to? Slowly, the pair made their way to the door, quietly peeking out into the hallway. It was surprisingly empty, even as the laughter echoed off the walls.

Shutting the door quietly behind them, Max and Rita stepped into the hallway. The pair jumped when, one by one, the video intercoms buzzed to life, revealing a pair of lips that looked so very familiar to Rita. They smirk and instantly Rita knew who it was; It was Terminal.

"Query;" He drawled cooly over the airwaves. "How many custodians does it take to clean a school?" Max and Rita shared a pointed, frightened look, interlocking arms. Rita was terrified, and she was Nightwing for god's sake. "Answer; None, twips. It's all done by machine." Rita's gaze was directed towards the end of the hall, where one of the school's robotic janitors rounded the corner, approaching them slowly. "Just a squirt of oil and a recharge and they keep the place spotless." Rita felt a tugging on her arm as Max pointed out another custodial robot turning the oppositie corner, effectively trapping them.

"Back inside." Max whispered, reaching for the knob. Rita nodded, not taking her eyes off of the robots that approached them. "It's locked!" Max hissed, pulling Rita towards the wall.

"And cleanliness is so important, don't you think? That's why I replaced the standard cleaning fluid with something a little bit stronger... Acid!" The robots began to beep, pointing their sprayers at the two women menacingly, before shooting out a thick spurt of a green, viscous liquid. Rita gasped, pulling Max to the floor just in time. The acid missed them by inches, spraying the computer rooms walls and door generously. The wall sizzled as the liquid began to eat through the material.

The second robot, now only a few feet from them, pointed its sprayer at them, beeping as well. In a split second Max shoved Rita and the girls scattered, hopping to their feet. If Max had been any slower, they would've been dead.

"Split up!" Max instructed, taking off down the hallways. Unsurprisingly, only one of the machines followed her, the other one lagged behind, again aiming for Rita.

"Slag it!" Rita shouted, taking off down the hall, narrowly being missed by another stream of acid. Taking a corner, she saw two more robot custodians were waiting for her at the end of the hallway, eyeing her menacingly. Rita reached for her bag, realizing too late that she didn't have it on her. Fast on her feet, Rita ran for the robots, flipping and tumbling through the air between the robots as they sprayed for her. Rita's side twinged, and unable to stick her landing, she fell, skidding across the ground into a nearby wall.

The robots turned, slowly making their way towards her. Rita was spent, her side throbbed and her whole body was sore. Taking a tumble on this hard floor had taken it's toll on her and she watched, horrified, as her end approached. With a deep breath, she scooted up the wall, back to her feet, limping down the hall way as fast as she could.

The robots shot again, and Rita used all the energy she could muster to dodge it. Again she rolled to the ground, but this time she did not stand up. The whirring of the custodians grew closer, louder, more taunting, and she waited for the end.

"Quitter!" A familiar voice taunted her. Rita looked up, happily relived to see Terry swooping in to save her. With one arm wrapped tightly around her midsection, he took off into the air, launching two explosive batarangs, which connected with the robots in a fiery show.

"Max...?" Rita asked, out of breath.

"I haven't found her yet." Terry informed Rita. Rita shook her head.

"She headed towards the science wing! You have to get her!" Rita pleaded with him. Terry was ready to argue, he needed to get Rita to safety first, until he spied a nearby bathroom. Again he picked Rita up, striding over to the bathroom door in three easy steps before opening it and gently placing her on the ground.

"I will come back for you. Stay here." He demanded, before jetting off into the dark hallways. Rita didn't need to be told twice, and as soon as Terry had left, She dead bolted the door behind him.

* * *

After saving Max from the acid shooting robots, Terry came back for Rita, surprised to find her in the exact same spot he'd left her in. When the Dynamic Duo finally caught up to Max again in the computer lab, they'd told her that Terry "showed up" to pick Rita up from school, only to find Batman carrying her out of harms way. She seemed to buy it, after they'd managed to calm her down about Rita's injuries.

"We seemed to have tripped a Joker trap." Max shrugged the attack off.

"This was no accident, Max. This trap wasn't meant for just anyone. The Jokers are after you." Terry told her seriously. Rita and Terry exchanged pointed looks from where Rita was slung over Terry's shoulder. She assumed he'd tell her how he knew that once they'd left.

"What? How do you know that?" Rita's eyes grew wide.

"Your program, Max! You have to shut it down!" Rita said, shocked.

"But how would they know about my program?" Max questioned him.

"Maybe they don't, but why else would they single you out? First the Brick pie and now this?" Terry continued, begging her to see reason. Max stayed silent, seeming to work something out in her head before looking up at Rita, clearly distressed.

"You're right. I'm so sorry Rita! If I'd have known I never would have asked for your help!" Max sobbed. Rita shifted uncomfortably.

"It's okay, it's okay. I just think It would be for the best right now." Rita agreed with him.

"I know, I'll go in and shut it down." Max told them glumly.

"I'm going to get Rita to the car, I'll wait outside for you alright?" Terry told her as she went back into the computer lab. Without further hesitation, Terry and Rita began to make their way back through the hallway. "Bruce is going to be tizzed." Terry muttered.

"How about if we just don't tell him?" Rita suggested. Terry gave her a stern look and Rita wilted. "Please, Terry. I can not be stuck in that house anymore!" Terry sighed, he didn't want her to miss anymore patrol either.

"He knows about the Jokers but... I suppose I could tell him you and Max went for dinner after your study group." Terry conceded with a wry smile.

* * *

 **Stay Beautiful!**


	8. Hidden Agenda (Pt 3)

The next day at school was beyond weird. Terry and Max seemed to be fighting, but over what? Rita wasn't sure. Terry had waited for her by the door the night before, but Max completely blew him off when he offered her a ride. Which was strange because she always accepted a ride in Bruce Wayne's Jaguar. Max always said it was the closest to luxury she'd ever get.

The next day, Max had offered to help Rita to her locker, since Rita was limping again due to their... extracurriculars the night before. Max still felt guilty for pulling Rita into her assumed squabble with the Jokers, but little did she know that those Jokers were why Rita was injured in the first place.

"Alright, Max. What's the sitch? And don't you dare regurgitate another apology to me." Rita asked finally, noticing the anxious way that Max fidgeted next to her locker.

"Rita... I-I need to tell you something." Max said quietly. Rita watched with a raised brow as her friend shifted awkwardly from left to right foot. "I... I think Terry... Is a Joker."

"What?!" Rita snorted loudly, unable to stop from laughing. Max pursed her lips, watching her friend with anything but amusement. That idea was preposterous, even if Rita didn't know that Terry was the Batman, he doesn't even act like a Joker. After several seconds, Rita quieted, her raucous laughter reduced to light chuckles. "You can't be serious?" Rita asked her friend, once Max's expression did not change from serious.

"Like a coronary." Max stated dryly. She began to reach for her bag when Terry spotted them from down the hallway.

"Max! Rita!" He shouted with a wave, closing the gap between them. Rita gave a friendly wave, one that earned her a huff from Max. Terry, sensing Max's apprehension, spared a glance at Rita, before speaking again. "Are you okay? It kinda seems like you're avoiding human contact today."

"Sorry, I've been looking over my shoulder all day. I cant shake the feeling that there's a joker nearby." Max sneered at him. Rita nudged her arm with her shoulder, be nice, the gesture said. Max returned Rita's gesture with a scowl.

"They wont bother you anymore, I promise." Terry told her. Rita bit back a frown. Well that doesn't make him sound any less guilty. She thought glumly.

"I guess you'd know." Max scowled, turning around and walking away.

"Wait, Max!" Rita called after her. Terry was speechless, and his face evidently showed it. With an annoyed sigh Rita turned back to Terry.

"What the hell was that?!" Terry asked, flinging his hands to the side.

"It's just a big misunderstanding!" Rita assured him, but Terry didn't seem convinced. "Max just thinks you're a-"

"Terry!" Rita and Terry turned, to find Dana, Terry's girlfriend, approaching them and looking rather miffed. "Are you coming or not?" She asked, cocking her hip and crossing her arms.

"Yeah, Just a sec." Terry told her, turning his attentions back towards Rita. "We'll talk later." Terry told her, just as Dana grabbed his arm.

"Now, Terry!" She told him, dragging him off down the hallway. Rita sat stunned, in the middle of the hallway, awkwardly waving goodbye at the squabbling couple. "What the...?" Rita muttered, hands on her hips. She was getting the suspicious feeling that Dana didn't like her very much.

With a frown, Rita turned, running headlong into a very large, very hard body. The impact nearly knocked Rita over, but before she had the opportunity to fall, a large set of hands grabbed her elbows.

"Whoa, there, Ms Greyson." A deep voice drawled. Blinking a few times, Rita steadied herself, surprised at who it was she was standing next to.

"Oh, Carter! Sorry, I'm still a little... Wobbily on my feet." Rita chuckled. Carter smiled at her, shaking his head.

"Understandable. As I remember, you're a bit injured, huh?"

"Guilty as charged." Rita felt her cheeks grow hot, and she stepped back from the boy, brushing herself off. "Well, uh, thanks for catching me." She smiled at him awkwardly, moving to step around him.

"Wait! I uh, I wanted to apologize." Carter blurted out suddenly. Rita stopped, cocking her hips and eyeing him suspiciously. "For yesterday at lunch. I don't take rejection too well, apparently." He laughed.

"Oh, it's fine." Rita assured him, going to walk away again.

"I was wondering if you'd let me make it up to you tonight? I was thinking maybe dinner and a walk?" Rita hesitated, biting her lip. After his cold shoulder yesterday, she wasn't even entirely sure that he deserved a date. "I promise I'm not a pig." He said honestly, throwing his hands up in defeat.

"Fine." Rita couldn't help but smile at his pathetic face. "I have gymnastic until 6:30, pick me up here around 7?" Rita smirked, successfully stepping around him this time.

"I'll be there at 6:45" Carter smirked at her, saluting her before walking off in the opposite direction.

* * *

Rita was happy to find out that Bruce Wayne had given both her and Terry the night off and had allowed Rita to go on her date. She was equally as satisfied when Terry brought her back a nice change of clothes for after practice, though, whether it was the unhappy face he wore or the fact that he picked out the perfect outfit, she wasn't sure.

"Oh the white dress. Terry, you know me so well." Rita teased, pulling the dress out of the bag. Nonchalant, she tossed her gymnastics duffle in the front seat, which bounced off of Terry's shoulder with a dull thud.

"Yeah, well, it just screams _Date with a Nerdy Twip_ , don't you think?" He returned snidely. That wasn't true though, and he knew he'd give anything to see her in that dress. Rita snorted at him, leaning her elbows on the side of Bruce's car. Quietly she tucked a strand of hair behind her ears.

"Thank you, Terry." She told him honestly, causing Terry to sigh.

"Don't mention it." He replied, dully.

"Tell Mr Wayne that Carter will drop me off when we're done." Rita told him standing up. "Oh! And that I promise not to be too late!" She shouted over her shoulder, heading back into the gym to get ready.

It didn't take long for her to change, and she stuffed her current clothes into her gym locker, before exiting the gym. Outside, a white two door sports car was waiting for her, its window rolled down to reveal her date, Carter Wilson. Rita quirked an eyebrow at him and he smiled, shrugging as he stepped out to open her door.

"Nice wheels." She smirked, stepping into the car.

"They are, aren't they?" Carter smirked at her, closing her door behind her, before hopping in himself.

"So, where are we going?" Rita asked him quietly. She was surprised when he gestured to his backseat, to reveal a picnic basket and several blankets.

"There's this park a couple blocks into the nicer part of the Heights. Dinner and a movie is so cliche, I thought maybe we could try something new?" He smiled at her, debonair as ever. Rita struggled to keep from melting in her seat.

"That sounds perfect." She nearly whispered.

"Good." Carter smiled, taking off out of the parking lot.

* * *

Landon Heights wasn't too far from Hamilton Hill High School, only about a ten minute drive, but it was a completely different neighborhood. The houses were huge and the lawns well manicured. There were no Jokers or miscreants as far as the eye could see. Rita gave a low whistle as they took the quiet neighborhood roads. Carter chuckled.

"That's rich coming from someone who lives in Wayne Manor." He joked.

"Mr Wayne's tastes are a bit more... dreary... than this." Rita answered him honestly as they pulled up to the park. She stepped out of the sports car, reaching back into the backseat to grab the basket.

"No please, allow me." Carter smiled at her, grabbing the basket himself. Rita shivered, the night air a bit cooler than she originally thought. She couldn't help but notice how far from the park entrance, but she shrugged it off as his arm found its way around her shoulder. "Cold?" He asked as they started their walk to the park.

"Eh." Rita gave a non-committal noise, earning a laugh from her date.

"There's a table next to the fountain, behind a wall and out of the wind." Carter told her as the entered the park. He was right, next to the fountain there was a stone table, which looked anything but warm. "Ah, slag. I forgot the blankets." He pouted, placing the picnic basket on the table. "Give me 30 seconds, I'll run back to the car and grab them." He smiled at her, grabbing Rita's hand and giving it a tight squeeze.

"I'll wait here." Rita smiled at him, taking a seat on the table's bench. With one final smile, and a kiss on the hand, Carter started his walk back out to the car. Rita grinned, sitting up straighter, and turned to the basket, beginning to unload the food. Rita was surprised to find peanut butter sandwiches in the basket, paired with juice boxes and a side of chips. She looked at the sandwiches in disappointment, tossing them haphazardly back into the basket. "What was a I really expecting?" She muttered.

"Rita?" A voice came from behind her, but it was not Carter's. Rita turned, surprised to find Max entering the park, several folders tucked under her arm.

"Max? What are you doing here?" Rita smiled, quirking an eyebrow at her friend.

"I could ask you the same thing?" Max returned.

"Date with Carter." Rita threw a thumb over her shoulder at the picnic basket before reaching in and retrieving a sandwich. "Bit disappointing." Rita chuckled, returning the sandwich.

"Jeeze, you'd think a stud like that would know how to plan a date." Max joked, taking a seat on the bench next to Rita.

"So why are you here?" Rita asked her friend again. Max's demeanor instantly shifted.

"I'm meeting Terry. I'm calling him out on his life as a Joker." Max scowled, crossing her arms. Rita sighed.

"Max, Terry isn't a Joker." Rita told her friend.

"Yeah, and how do you know that?" Max returned.

"When would he have time? Furthermore, it's Terry." Rita tried to reason with her friend. Max wouldn't hear it, and she opened her mouth to speak when a deep laugh came from the shadows several feet away.

"Looky, Looky. It's Miss Perfect 2400... and friend." The voice drawled. The two women turned, both of them shocked to find Terminal and his gang sitting along the wall. "The luckiest girls on the face of the planet." Terminal taunted them, grabbing a gun from one of his cronies. "Until now." He laughed, firing it just right of Max and Rita. Rita screamed, her and Max both ducking. "That's right, Maxine. I know who you are." He laughed again, approaching the two women, gun still in hand. Max stood straighter, glaring at the Joker in front of them.

"I know who you are too, Terry." She spoke cooly. Rita, still reeling from being shot at without the protection of her suit, grabbed her friend's elbow harshly.

"Max-"

"McGinnis?" Terminal chuckled, looking at his crew. "She think's I'm McGinnis." His crew seemed to think it was just as funny, and now Max was sent back-pedaling.

"I know he's one of you!" Max told him.

"Max, please-!" Rita started again, but Max pulled her arm out of her friends grasp.

"He told you I'd be here!"

"No one told us anything. We've been following you, hacking your accounts, to finish off what we started." Terminal told the girls, a thinly veiled threat in his voice. Slowly he backed them up into the side of the fountain, eyeing Rita up and down. Suddenly she wished she'd worn pants on her date. Date? Wait! Oh no where's Carter! Suddenly Rita was overwhelmed with worry for the boy, he'd gone to the car alone and there was no telling what these Jokers did to him.

"Because of this?" Max sneered, holding up one of her folders. Terminal looked at the paper quietly, before smacking it out of her hands.

"Wrong again." Terminal snickered as Max ran for the papers that were now scattered on the ground. "I don't care about your data cruncher. I have a personal reason for wanting you gone." He sneered, reaching out and grabbing Rita's wrist, pulling her into his chest. With his other hand he pressed teh gun into her temple.

"Who are you?" Max asked him again, her eyes darting from the Joker to her terrified friend.

"Me?" Terminal chuckled. "I'm the best." And then he removed the gun from Rita's temple. Perfect. She thought, stepping down hard on his toes and bringing a hard elbow up into his chin. Terminal howled in pain, but did not let go of Rita's wrist, instead clutching it tighter. Rita turned, throwing her foot at his face with all of her strength, but it was useless. Terminal grounded her with an easy counter, her wrist held tight behind her back as she was slammed on the cold ground. With wild eyes Terminal pointed his pistol at her.

"HELP! PLEASE HELP!" Rita shouted, squirming under his grip.

"Who do you think is going to hear you, Greyson? Who do you think is going to come to help you?" Terminal sneered, pressing his gun harder into her head.

"Me!" Rita heard a familiar voice shout. Suddenly the weight and the gun was removed from Rita's back and she looked up to find Batman had kicked Terminal several feet away. Rita watched as the Joker skidded across the pavement, Terry hovering protectively over her.

"You! Run!" He shouted, pointing at Max. Max shrugged, with a smirk.

"You called it!" She shouted, diving headlong into the gang of Jokers, knocking out the girl Joker.

"Not what I meant!" Terry growled at her, gingerly helping Rita up. She seemed startled, but not injured, which was completely okay in his book. "Are you okay?" He asked her quietly.

"Not the time." Rita hissed at him, pointing up at the approaching Jokers. Terry stood, knocking the clown faced one back with a single punch, before turning back to his friend.

"Get to the jet!" He told her, which Rita was more than inclined to do. Rita stood, taking off towards the front of the park, just as Terminal stepped in her way.

"Where are you going?" He grinned at her. "We were getting along so well." Terminal taunted. Again, he lifted his weapon, leveling it at her before pulling the trigger. Rita dove, dodging the lazer that connected with the fountain wall behind where she stood. Terminal smirked at her as he let her get to her feet once more. "You're cute. Too bad you gotta go."

"Why me?"

"Wrong place. Wrong time." Terminal shrugged. Rita huffed, brushing several loose strands of hair from in front of her face. They circled each other until Now it was Terminal who stood in front of the fountain, just where Rita wanted him. Terminal smirked, pointing his gun at her once more.

"Rita, down!" Terry commanded, as he swooped in, attempting to take Terminal to the ground. Terminal was ready for him, however, and instead sucker punched Terry, slamming him onto the cold concrete. Now was her time to shine, and Rita took this opportunity to hit Terminal with a hard shoulder. The Joker was unprepared, and he toppled into the fountain, his gun clattering to the ground.

Rita jumped in after him, pulling the Joker up by his collar and holding her fist up at the ready. She had a bone to pick with this clown, and he wasn't going to get off lightly, Nightwing suit or no. The Joker came up sputtering, his wig lost to the fountain and his make up beginning to run.

"C-Carter...?" Rita whispered, her voice faltering. Now that all of the Joker's make up had washed away, Rita was no longer left holding Terminal, instead, she was surprised to find herself holding her date by his collar. "W-why?"

"You think you're so much better than me, don't you, Max?" Carter shouted, struggling against Rita, who only held him tighter. Carter glared at Max over Rita's shoulder, and Rita's eyes widened, all of teh peices slowly falling into place.

"You... Used me? To hurt Max?!" Rita whispered, her eyes burning. It made sense. When they were cornered by the custodian machines, it was Carter that she'd told about working on Max's project. Today during school when he'd asked her out tonight? It was because he'd failed to kill them the night before. He coudln't leave any witnesses. Carter's angry glare found Rita, and he smirked at her.

"You're one smart cookie." He teased. Rita, overcome with anger, reared her fist back, but before she could bring it down on Carter's face, a giant hand grabbed her wrist.

"Rita." Terry's voice came quietly. Rita sobbed, pulling half-heartedly against Terry's grip. "His not worth it." Terry spoke again. "Just scum." He continued, and Rita's fist went slack. With a weak amount of force, Rita shoved Carter away from her, before retreating from the fountain and into Max's waiting arms.

Terry may have seemed calm, but deep down there was a fire burning. He was angry at this man, he had hurt his partner deeply by using her to get to Max. By trying to kill her as Nightwing and as Rita Greyson. He attempted several times to take Max's life, and Terry shuddered at what could have happened had Max not emailed him about his double life. Carter Wilson was a dead man in Terry's eyes, and he wanted to badly to pummel him to dust, but he refrained.

"As much as I'd like you to hit him, Terry, don't." He heard Bruce Wayne mutter from the other end of his comm. Terry listened, and instead jerked Carter to his feet, tossing him roughly to the ground next to the fountain. Terry cuffed Carter, making sure to close them several clicks too tight on his wrist, letting him fall hard on is face, before he turned back to the two women.

Max seemed okay, just shaken, but Rita, that was a different story. She didn't frown, she didn't say a word as she looked down at Carter. Rita's silence said more than any of her words ever could, and Terry felt that in his soul. His heart ached for her, she had been betrayed, and Terry could do nothing about it.

"Make sure to get her home." He told Max quietly. Max nodded, going to lead Rita away, to find her a blanket. Before she left, Rita's eyes met Terry's, the piercing blue gaze was enough to break his heart all over again.

* * *

The next day, school was weird. The students gathered around any screen available, all watching teh story of Carter's arrest. Students and teachers a like were shocked at the revelation, the school was at a dead stop. Terry and Rita had arrived together, as usual, and they too stopped on their way in, watching the news on the giant screen in the lobby.

"Scum." Terry called him again, for the umpteenth time since.

"Agreed." Rita nodded quietly, earning a frown from Terry.

"I guess I'm not as good as I thought. Carter wasn't even on my list." Max sighed, joining the pair. Both of them gave her a half hearted smile as she looked up at Terry. "But you were." Max told him, shoving a piece of paper into his hands. Terry smirked, shaking his head.

"I still can't believe you thought I was a Joker."

"Yeah well, now I know the truth." Max returned the smirk, holding both of her pointer fingers at the side of her head, very reminiscent of the Batman cowl. That stopped Terry cold and Rita felt her breath leave her as Max turned to her with an accusatory finger. "Which means you..." She trailed off. Terry and Rita shared a look.

"What are you gonna do about it?" Terry asked her quietly. Max chuckled.

"First thing I'm gonna do is cover my tracks so no one else can figure it out." Max said, as if it were obvious.

"No need." Rita told her with a grin. "Someone already took care of that." Max looked flabbergasted at the two of them as they began to walk towards their lockers.

"What? Who?!"

"Someone who is much better at covering their tracks than us, apparently." Terry teased as Max ran to catch up with them.


	9. Spliced (Pt 1)

"I still just think it's absolute _garbage_ that Terry gets to go out during a school day." Rita growled into her ear piece as she stood at her locker, gathering her books before class.

 _"Your grades come first. That was our agreement."_ Bruce quipped, bored.

"Our agreement was that I left my dad's case to the professionals." Rita shot back.

 _"It was implied."_ Bruce Wayne growled. _"You're lucky I let you wear your ear piece."_

 _You're lucky I let you wear your ear piece_ Rita mimicked, shutting her locker door. "Fine. But I'm skipping Gymnastics." Rita muttered, just as Max strode up to her.

"Y'know, talking to yourself is a bad sign, Rita." Max joked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, hey Max." Rita said quickly, clearing her throat. "I was just telling my _associates_ I was skipping gymnastics tonight." She told her friend.

 _"No."_ Bruce and Terry both grunted at the same time. Rita bit back a scream. She hated when they agreed, that meant there was no chance of coercion.

"You can't. You need practice for the meet at the end of next month." Max reminded Rita, earning a glare from her friend.

"Don't you start." Rita hissed, under her breath, earning a smirk from her friend. "I'm getting it enough from here." Rita tapped her head, gesturing to her earpiece. The dark skinned girl chuckled, taking several steps ahead of Rita as she picked her bag up and settled it on her shoulder.

 _"Thank you, Max."_ Terry said over the intercom. Rita could hear his satisfied smirk.

"You know what, you guys can go-" Rita started, only to stop mid sentence, leaving Bruce and Terry waiting in her ear. Down the hall, putting on a rather flashy display, sat Chelsea Cunningham, surrounded by several of their peers. "What's that about?" Rita wondered out loud, to which Max shrugged.

 _"What is it Rita?"_

 _"Rita?"_ Terry and Bruce nagged in the back of her mind.

"Beats me." Max smirked.

"Just Chelsea Cunningham, putting on her usual show- _whoa._ " Rita stopped as the popular blonde removed her sunglasses, showing off a pair of green cat eyes. Her pair of green cat eyes.

 _"Greyson, so help me-"_ Terry growled.

"Chelsea got spliced." Rita muttered, shocked and awed. Max nodded her agreement.

 _"I don't believe it."_ Terry gasped in her ear.

"Chelsea!" Max sighed, concern evident in her voice. Chelsea merely smiled at her. "You're crazy girl, you're dad must have a spiz fit."

"I dunno Chelsea, isn't messing with your DNA a bit drastic?" Rita asked, still in awe of her brand new eyes. She had to admit, they did look pretty schway. Chelsea smirked at them both as several other students walked by, one a living lizard and the other a anthropomorphic zebra.

"Please." She scoffed, gliding past them. "Personally, I'd jump on it if I were you guys, because if you're not the first, you're the worst." Chelsea called over her shoulder. Rita whistled, watching her go.

"That was pretty schway." Rita grinned at Max, the pair fist bumping in unison.

 _"Then why is the city trying to shut it down?"_ Terry nagged in her ear. Rita growled, watching Max walk off down the hallway.

"Lighten up McGinnis," Rita sighed, she only used that name when she was annoyed with him and he knew it. "There's laws against everything teens are into. You have to keep an open mind."

* * *

"They call it Splicing, the new teen craze that has taken Gotham's youth by storm. But outraged parents and lawmakers call the use of genetic animal augmentation a crime against nature. Some say it's a matter of choice." The reporter on screen babbled, the pictures cutting from people picketing outside of Chimera Institute, to several interviewers of spliced teens. Rita sat in the bat cave, leaning against a nearby table, watching the TV curiously. Some of the spliced teens may have went to far, as they interviewed a group of vampire wannabe teens, but Rita had to admit, some features looked kind of cool.

"Wipe that look off your face, Greyson." Bruce gruffed from where he sat in his computer chair.

"What look?" Rita asked him, smirking.

"It's the same look your father had when he was about to get into mischief."

"As if." Rita growled, crossing her arms angrily.

"The center of the controversy is the Director of the Chimera Institute, Doctor Abel Couvier." The reporter said matter of factly, cutting to an interview of the doctor himself. He was a poised man, if not moderately pale, and had obviously undergone a Splicing treatment or two. Terry and Bruce scoffed as he reassured the public of the procedures safety and reversibility.

"As you can see I was the first test subject and I am perfectly fine." Doctor Couvier smiled, pleased.

"Perfectly creepy if you ask me." Terry shuddered. "Him and that whole Splicing fad."

"Oh come on, I think it's kinda cool." Rita offered, earning a look from both of them. "Science has come a long way!" She reasoned with them, not changing their minds. "Geeze, take a pill."

"This is no simple fad, Rita. Something bad will come of this. Something we'll most likely have to clean up." Bruce told her gravely. Rita, sinking back into her spot on the desk. "Tomorrow I want you both to head down to the Chimera Institute, pose as potential clients." Bruce told them. "This whole thing stinks and we need to figure out why."

* * *

The next day Terry and Rita made their way to the Chimera Institute on foot. Bruce wanted them to keep a low profile and thought that taking the car would be too noticeable, so today they were taking public transportation. Terry didn't mind the subway, it was how he'd gotten around for his entire life until he met Bruce, but Rita on the other hand; Rita seemed uncomfortable as she sat in the hard plastic seats. her arms were crossed tightly over her chest and she'd mentioned several times already that it smelled.

"If you don't uncurl your top lip, it's going to stick that way." Terry teased Rita. She scowled at him, shifting in her seat.

"Shut up. It smells in here."

"Yeah, you've said that." Terry smirked, leaning back in his seat. He yawned, his arms stretching out on either side of him, causing Rita to go rigid and her cheeks to flush. "All that boarding school, trust-fund, princess treatment has really led you to miss out on the finer things in life, like public transportation." He continued.

"Our definitions of _finer things in life_ are very different, Terry." Rita pouted, finally settling back into her seat after realizing his arm wasn't moving. It didn't help her flaming cheeks though.

"As your district attorney I'm making it my top priority to outlaw splicing completely!" The screen at the far end of the train spoke, showing DA Sam Young and his wife Police Chief Barbara Gordon during a live press conference. "Impartial tests clearly show a rise in aggressive behavior-" The DA continued, only to have the TV screen destroyed by a large spliced teen. The teen growled, viciously pulling his Horns from the screen, which had been punctured when the teen headbutted it.

Several concerned gasped and cries rang out through the subway car, and Rita's hand flew to Terry's knee, gripping it tightly. Terry watched with narrowed eyes as the teen turned to the now cowering crowd, Rita's grip on his knee a distraction say the least.

"How's that for breaking news?" He sneered at the crowd, turning to smirk at another spliced teen, this one the human personification of a snake. The snake man stood, high fiving his bull friend.

"Nobody can stop splicing. It's the future whether you stinking, scared norms like it or not!" The snake hissed at them. Terry was done, and he stood from his seat.

"How about not, snake boy."

"Terry!" Rita hissed, grabbing for his coat tail. She missed, standing up to chase after him as the crowd parted around him.

"Listen norm! Don't even think about dissin' us!" the bull boy warned, pointing menacingly.

"Go chew a can." Terry sneered. The bull froze, his face flashing from shocked to enraged in a matter of seconds. He snorted, charging at Terry angrily, while the snake boy flanked from the side. Terry caught the bull by it's horns, wrestling with him while the snake made it's move.

"That's not very fair." Rita tsked at the snake, round housing him into the door, while Terry finished with the Bull. The pair were slow to get up, while the crowd behind Terry and Rita cheered quietly.

"So will you petting zoo rejects be needing a doctor?" Terry asked.

"or a vet?" Rita finished smugly, hands on her hips. The bull growled at them, ready to strike again, when the subway doors opened, several security guards entering the car.

"Your time will come norm!" The Bull growled. "You'll see! You'll all see!" He shouted, darting from the train, his spliced friend quick at his heels. Rita bit her lip, frowning up at Terry, who shared her gaze.

"I bet you ten creds this is our stop, huh?" Rita asked him as the captains voice came over the intercoms.

"You'd bet right." Terry told her, just as the voice called of "Chimera Institute" and the platform number.

* * *

Rita and Terry entered the institute rather easily, posing as possible patients to the front desk receptionist. She told them to take a seat and a consultant would be out to get them shortly, and she was correct; several minutes later a dark skinned woman took them from the waiting area and through the double doors behind the receptionist.

Their escort had been spliced with what seemed to be tiger DNA, as she was covered in stripes and sported cat eyes and a tail. When she talked, you could just make out her elongated fangs under perfectly glossed lips, and her nails ended in slightly pointed claws. Rita was awestruck by her, there was a certain elegance about her splicing, much unlike the two spliced teens from the subway.

"You two were interested in getting spliced?" The cat woman asked them curiously.

"Just me. It's my birthday present." Rita lied easily, smiling at the woman. The cat woman returned her smile, just as their elevator stopped on the 5th floor.

"This is our consulting suite." She told them quietly, exiting the elevator. Rita and Terry trailed behind her, following her to a giant computer screen. She gestured for Rita to sit in the chair next to it, while she stood behind a high tech camera.

"We are going to take three pictures of your face, front and each profile, so that way when we put it into the computer we can run a mock splice. From here we will decided which look you prefer." She said matter of factly. Rita glanced back up at Terry, who bit back a sigh, nodding his head in approval.

As Rita posed for her picture, Terry couldn't help but notice how professional this place seemed. It was immaculate, clean and pristine. The decor was tasteful, several plants lined the consulting suite, with it's high vaulted ceilings and luxurious couches. The several consulting stations sat filled with other guests, happily picking out their animal kingdom look with other seemingly well qualified Consultants. If DA Sam Young took issue with this place, it certainly wasn't with its cleanliness and safety.

"Now, your picture will load on the screen and from this portal here I can give you any feature you desire." The cat woman told Rita and Terry. "It's customary that our consultants make the first design, show you what we think would look just beautiful on you." The cat woman told Rita, pressing several buttons on the keyboard. Rita and Terry watched as her face slowly shifted into that of an animal with horns and bright yellow glowing eyes. "With your cheekbones and eye shape, I think antelope would be a perfect splice."

"I don't know..." Rita muttered, crossing her arms. She looked at Terry, who seemed to be fighting back a fit of laughter. Rita glared at him, sitting back in her chair. "Do you have anything less... Horny?" Rita asked her innocently, to which Terry snorted.

"C'mon, Rita, You're the one who told me to have an open mind." Terry offered. "I think horns look good on you, really says something to your personality." Rita opened her mouth to yell at him when another voice interrupted her.

"Personally, I think the young lady would look stunning in spots." A smooth voice drawled. Rita and Terry turned in their chairs, to find Dr Couvier himself had joined them on their consultation. Terry immediately tensed. "You're smart to come in now," He continued, walking over to the computer next to Rita. The cat woman stepped to the side and Dr. Couvier placed a gentle hand on Rita's shoulder, pressing a single button on the keyboard, replacing the horns on Rita's picture with leopard spots instead. "If my critics have their way, splicing might go the way of the dinosaurs. Not that I don't plan to fight them tooth and claw." He trailed off, standing back and admiring his work.

"Much better." Rita smiled, quirking an eyebrow at Terry, who narrowed his eyes at her.

"I have to agree. Your girlfriend is a beautiful woman, but there is just something about spots that have always tickled my fancy." Dr Couvier gave a toothy green, squeezing Rita's shoulder. Rita's eyes went wide and she went to correct him when Terry spoke up.

"You're right," Terry agreed with him. "But I still like the horns." He added, causing Rita's cheeks to flush and her mind to race. What did he just say?

"Yo!" A familiar voice shouted from the other side of the consulting suite. Rita and Terry shared a look, it was the Bull teen and his snake friend from the subway. Rita and Terry slowly turned back to the computer, hoping that the two teens wouldn't recognize them.

"Please excuse me." Dr Couvier excused himself, walking over to the two splicees with outstretched arms. Thankfully, the bull, the snake and Dr Couvier himself all left the room without further arguments, and the cat woman returned to her post at Rita's consulting chair.

"Have we decided?" She asked them happily. Rita and Terry shared a look, both of them wanted to follow Couvier and what appeared to be his cronies.

"I think so, can I get a print out of this? I just have to ask daddy." Rita asked her, putting on her best trust-fund Princess voice. Terry bit back a smirk.

"Certainly." The cat woman purred, pressing a button on the keyboard. "I will return shortly with your print out and your estimate." She smiled, exiting through the same door that Couvier and his men left through. Once she was gone, Rita stood up, grabbing her bag.

"I just have to ask daddy." Terry mocked her. Rita shoved him.


	10. Spliced (Pt 2)

Rita and Terry left long before Cat Lady returned with Rita's estimate. They were curious as to what laid behind that door. Terry decided it was best to follow them, where as he had the active camouflage. Rita was not keen to be left behind, but she too changed into her suit.

"I get to sit out again. _Yay_." Rita sighed from the Chimera Institute's rooftop. Terry smirked to himself as he slunk towards the ceiling of a laboratory that was well hidden in the Chimera Institute's winding halls. He wondered why it was so out of the way, when he spied Covier and the three spliced teen's from earlier, Bull, Snake and Cat. He was splicing them, again.

"It's all over the news." The Bull teen growled as they situated him into a circular harness. The harness held all of his limbs in a secure bind, something tha Terry raised a brow at. If splicing was so safe, he wondered why they had to be held down. "Those scared old stiffs are gonna shut us down."

"Then we must strike tonight." Couvier smirked, pressing several buttons on the keyboard before picking up a splicing gun. "The Splicers revolution cannot be stopped." He told his cronies, shooting the gun into the Bull's arms. "If the law intends to shut us down, then we shall take first blood from the throat of DA Young." Terry's heart nearly stopped and Rita's mouth dropped on shock.

"Rita-"

"Way ahead of you." Rita told him, taking off from her rooftop perch and in to the night. "Directions?"

"On their way." Bruce informed her. "Terry, stay a bit longer, see if you can find out any other targets they're planning to hit."

"Will do." Terry whispered. "And Rita," Her paused, thoughtfully. "Be careful." Rita smirked into her cowl, jetting off just as her NAVI voice came over her coms.

* * *

It wasn't a long flight, the atjet did most of the navigating for her. The flight wasn't what was making her nervous. After she had left, Bruce and Rita lost communications with Terry. She wanted to go back, but Bruce wouldn't her any of it; She had a job to do, she has to save Sam Young.

"Terry will be fine, Rita, right now you need to worry about your job." Bruce told her, trying his best to calm her down. He wasn't good at this type of thing, another reason why he didn't understand why Dick would leave her in his care.

"Yeah, yeah." Rita agreed, sitting quietly a top of the front porch of Sam Young and Barbara Gordon's condo. But she couldn't help worrying about Terry, dropping off the radar wasn't like him at all. It seemed business as usual and she began to wonder if the Chimera's were all talk and no action, until a loud crash from the roof top caught Rita's attention.

"Rita!"

"I heard it!" She shouted back to Bruce, taking off towards the rooftop. The three Chimera's from the Chimera institute had taken siege to the small condo, entering through the roof. By the time Rita arrived, Sam and Barbara had already been held down by the two male Chimera's. Rita wasted no time, diving into action. "Hey! Freak show!" She shouted, diving through the window, her foot connecting with the snake like Chimera that held Sam. He went flying across the room landing hard against the back wall.

"You!" The Bull chimera snarled, shoving Barbara to the side. "Batman's sidekick, what a pleasure." He teased, lunging at her.

"It's Nightwing, Nose Ring." Rita spat, removing from her holsters her set of batons. She lengthened them threateningly, and the bull growled, diving for her. Rita dodged him easily batting him upside his head, sending him stumbling. "Remember it!"

Rita had no time to gloat, as the cat woman from before shouldered her in the side. Rita groaned, falling face first to the ground. A very strong hand found the back of her skull, pressing her face into the floor of the condo.

"No need to. After tonight you'll be dust!" The Bull Chimera sneered, lifting Rita's head and preparing to slam her face down into the carpet. Rita never ate floor though, instead, she was thrown across the room with the Bull Chimera, landing on top of him hard enough to knock the wind from her. With a growl she stood, kicking the Bull hard enough to make him groan. Surprised be to her when she found Terry in the middle of the room.

"Batman!" She said happily, though the look on Terry's face did not make her feel hopeful. He was breathing, hard, hunched over and in obvious pain. His body shuddered, as he pointed behind him, towards where Barbara and Sam lay injured. Rita obliged, running past her partner and joining the DA and the Commissioner.

"Nightwing?" The Commissioner asked. Rita said nothing, only watched the former Batgirl as she cradled her husband's unconscious form.

"You need to leave, We'll handle it from here." Rita told Commissioner Gordon, as a loud, animalistic growl erupted from the fight behind her. Rita turned, to find Terry throwing off the three Chimera's in a feat of unimaginable strength. The Cat and the Snake were down for the count, but the Bull, he didn't know when to quit. As he charged at Terry, Terry easily deflected him, and he began to pound on the Bull brutally and with abandon. Barbara and Rita exchanged terrified glances.

"Help him!" She pleaded.

"Which one?!" Rita returned, jumping over to her partner. As he reared his fist back for another blow, Rita grabbed it, holding on for dear life. Terry was much stronger than he usually was. "Batman! You're killing him!" Rita pleaded with her friend, surprised when he turned on her. With a shove, Rita hit the ground, Terry standing over her menacingly. "Batman..." Rita whispered, hands up in surrender. She was terrified, and it was evident on her face.

In her fear, she searched the room for her batons, which sat discarded where she was leveled by the Cat woman. She could reach them from here, but he would get to her first, that much was obvious. Terry was foaming at the mouth now, with actual fangs instead of teeth, and he screeched at her, an inhuman screech, before raising his fist.

"Terry! PLEASE!" Rita cried out in fear, Throwing her hands above her head. Terry to faltered and that was all the time Rita needed to get to her weapons. In a panic, Rita dove for her baton, setting them to taze, and turned, holding the stick to Terry's abdomen, sending a course of electricity though his already trembling body. He screamed, loudly, grabbing for his head before hitting the ground, unconscious. Terry twitched once before his body went completely slack. Rita breathed a heavy sigh, tentatively crawling over to his face. He was breathing, which was good, but it was ragged and heavy, a bad sign.

With trembling fingers, she pulled open his upper lip, revealing the un-human fangs that filled his mouth. Slowly she removed his mask, only to reveal a face that was no longer his. Rita gasped, bringing her hands to her mouth; Where Terry's head would be, sat a face that was much more bat-like in appearance. His ears were holes in the side of his head, his eyes sallow and sunken. His nose was there, but more snout like. Slowly, Rita reached out to him, putting a gentle, albeit scared, hand to his cheek.

"Oh Ter..." She muttered, dropping her head. They'd spliced him, that's why they lost contact while he was at the lab. they'd found him and he'd been spliced. She'd find it ironic that they took the time to splice him with Bat DNA, if his splicing hadn't been so severe.

"Is he alright?" Barbara spoke from across the room. Rita jumped, turning to the Commissioner. She could hear Bruce screaming in her ear, but she ignored him. Rita nodded her head sadly, gently stroking Terry's cheek. Terry shuddered under her touch and she pulled away from him. Barbara sighed, gesturing to the broken skylight. "The Chimera's escaped."

"Don't worry, I'm going to take care of this before they have a chance to come back." Rita told her angrily, standing. She pulled Terry's dead weight onto her shoulder, stumbling once under him as she adjusted his body over her back. Barbara reached out to help, but Rita gestured her to stay where she was. Commissioner Gordon was already hurt enough as it was.

"Rita." Barbara said quietly. Rita looked over at her in shock, and Barbara smirked at her. "I may be old, but I'm still sharp." Rita gave her a weak smile and she continued. "You've grown since the last time I saw you." Barbara quipped, reminded of Rita's christening. It had been 17 years since she'd seen the girl, and equally as long since she'd seen Dick. Barbara frowned at the thought. "Take care of Terry first. We'll be fine, the hospital will put us under armed guard."

"I know," Rita muttered, glancing back at Terry's unconscious face. "But this time it's personal." She explained, taking off through the skylight, back towards where she parked the jet.

* * *

Terry's head was throbbing, he was moderately cold, but a distinct feeling of hands running through his hair left him feeling warm. Muffled voices could be heard in the background, a deep, gnarly male voice and one that was much lighter, much softer. _Rita_. Slowly he opened his eyes, to a blurry world. he couldn't make out details, only shapes and colors.

"Terry?" The soft voice came again, Rita's face coming into focus above his. She smiled at him, sitting back, her fingers paused in his hair line as they trailed softly down his cheek. "Oh, Terry!" Rita sighed, hugging him tightly.

"What... Happened..?" He muttered, bringing his hand to his forehead. Glumly he looked around, his cowl had been discarded somewhere, and his Batsuit lay shredded on his body. A cold table was under his legs, and he was surprised to find himself in the Batcave. Rita scooted over as Terry sat up, the action making his head throb even more.

"At least now we know that the cure works. Fast acting, too." Bruce gruffed from his chair, not even looking up from his computer screen. Terry's brow furrowed and Rita gave him a sympathetic smile.

"Cure?" He asked. Rita nodded.

"You were practically bat by the time I got you home." Rita frowned, biting her lip. Terry growled

"Couvier, he dosed me in his lab." Now he remembered. They'd ambushed him and had pumped him full of splice juice.

"With a massive overdose of Vampire bat serum." Bruce informed him. Quietly he turned to the pair, holding in his hand four viles of red liquid and two giant dart guns. "Rita told me about the attack on Sam and Barbara." He told him, clicking over to the Television. The news had just broken about the attack on the DA's life.

"After Batman and his partner, Nightwing, foiled the assassination attempt on DA Young, the Chimera institute was raided by local police forces, but Dr Couvier and his followers have already gone into hiding." the anchorman told them, cutting to a video of Sam Young. Terry looked to Rita for answers, he couldn't remember anything.

"After you arrived at Sam Young's you didn't speak, you almost killed one of the Chimeras!" Rita frowned at him. "I had to taze you or you would've gone after me..."

"Rita..." Terry began, taking her hand in his.

"You scared me, McGinnis." Rita's admission left Terry feeling guilty, and he fought against the flush of his cheeks as she wrapped her other hand around his. Bruce watched them quietly, clearing his throat. To his pleasure, they let go of each other.

"Couvier will be deadlier than ever, now that he's being hunted." Bruce told them obviously. Rita sighed, now that they'd gone into hiding, there was no way of finding them until the tried another attempt on DA Young's life. Quietly, Bruce stood from his chair, joining Rita and Terry off the table. From on Terry's **B** atsuit, Bruce pulled forth what seemed to be a piece of claw. "What's this...?" he pondered, crossing back to his computer.

"One of Couvier's claws." Terry muttered. "Too bad we can't use it to find him." Rita bit her lip, looking down at Bruce's noble guard dog quietly.

"We can't." Bruce told them with a sly grin. Ace whined, looking up at the three humans expectantly before huffing and laying his head back on his paws. Terry groaned, he didn't like where this was going at all.


End file.
